Joker and Queen
by kaitothegreat
Summary: Aoko owes Kaitou Kid a debt and she would do anything to repay it full. But when that debt continues to grow, when will Aoko ever break free from this Phantom Thief?
1. Chapter 1

Joker and Queen

Aoko owes Kaitou Kid a debt and she would do anything to repay it full. But when that debt continues to grow, when will Aoko ever break free from this Phantom Thief?

* * *

It was a starless night and only the full moon ruled the dark sky. Aoko rubbed two of her hands together and blew out white cold air as she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck.

She could hear faint cheers and screams at the other side of the street, a soft chanting of Kaitou Kid! echoing in the night and it continued ringing in Aoko's mind that she almost felt like chanting with them. She gritted her teeth and looked at her watch. The Kid's heist had started fifteen minutes ago and Kid should be almost done with his work.

Nakamori never allowed Aoko to be part of the investigation to stop Kid, saying it's too dangerous or she'll just be a nuisance, but at least he still let her in to give him his lunch or to linger around for a little while before she was chased out. Despite her dad's warning to stay away from the heist, she would still loiter around nearby sometimes just to see how everything goes although she was not part of it.

But if exams were near or when there were just too much homework to handle, Aoko always watched Kid's heist on television and she would never miss any of it, although she loathed it more than anything else when the whole Japan just witnessed her dad's failure and Kid's arrogant smirk over and over again. But there was a reason why she made sure she never missed Kid's heist.

Aoko was smart and it wasn't just book smart. Even though she wasn't a great detective like Hakuba or that small little kid who appeared in the newspaper a few times for stopping Kid, she managed to pick up some of Kid's methods of escaping and tricking all the officers with his fake identity or dummies on her own and she was often right in the end.

That was why she was standing right by the exit of the building which was beside the one that the jewel was protected that night, waiting for Kid to appear any moment. She wasn't exactly sure that Kid would use this exit to escape, but she was willing to make a bet. Aoko sighed and closed her eyes. She could hear her heart beating faster and faster for some weird reason and she frowned at herself.

"Calm down. It's not like he's definitely going to escape from here. I'm just betting on it, there's no reason for me to be so nervous." Aoko soothed herself, opening her eyes and gave a growl as she swung her fist in the air. "But just you wait, Kid. If I see you, I'll make sure that I catch you once and for al-"

"It's Kaitou Kid!"

"He escaped!"

"Kaitou Kid!"

Aoko widened her eyes, her head shot up as she heard the shouts growing louder and louder. Her brows furrowed again as she stared at the watch before looking away, her eyes filled with doubt.

"He escaped... already?" Aoko muttered.

She pushed the heavy metal door, stepping right out of the building and was about to make a turn to the other side of the streets when she noticed a white figure with a glider flying in the dark night. Aoko let out a cold breath, her shoulders slumped. Maybe she was wrong this time, about Kid's escape plan. But she was never always right either, so there was no way she was going to blame herself when this was the first time she decided to take this risk and face Kid all by herself. But then again, Aoko had promised herself to never let Kid bring her down, be it the fact that he stole her dad away or the fact that he pissed her off with whatever he did.

Accepting her first defeat, Aoko was contemplating whether she should go and find her dad or head home to watch the Kid's heist online when she heard the sound of a metal door shut tightly. She glanced back and watched a person who was wearing a black sweater and a black cap that hid his face well. Raising an eyebrow, Aoko scrutinized the man, observing the suspicious character before she decided to make a move.

"Hey excuse me!" Aoko yelled.

The man stopped and he glanced over his shoulder slightly. Aoko couldn't see his face at all, thanks to the cap and also the lack of lamppost around that area, but she was sure that man stiffened in his position for a moment. Taking a few tentative steps forward, Aoko tried to make sure she wouldn't scare that mysterious man away, not until she was able to grab him down and force him to tell her who he was, or maybe she could call her dad over to arrest such a suspicious man that exited the building that was suppose to be already empty at this timing.

"Is there a problem?" The voice was deep, but Aoko couldn't make out the age of the man just by his voice.

"May I know who are you?" Aoko asked steadily and she stopped at a distance, exposing herself under the lamp's light.

The silence was long and Aoko made use of that moment to prepare her next move. But just before she could even do anything, the man gave a soft laugh. Aoko was definitely taken aback as she blinked curiously at him.

"You must be Nakamori-san? Inspector Nakamori's daughter I mean."

Aoko froze and she took a step back against her will. Her eyes slightly narrowed before realization dawned her. The voice was no longer deep and she realized that voice she heard before was probably faked. And the only person she knew that could use this trick in order to impersonate anyone in this world was Kaitou Kid.

"You-!" Aoko turned back, staring at the last spot she saw the suppose-to-be-Kid flying in the sky and the only reason she could thought of was that it was just a dummy and her dad was probably foolishly chasing after it. She spun around and surprisingly, Kid was still standing there instead of escaping when he had thousands of chance to do it already. Was he playing with her? Aoko gritted her teeth.

"Are you actually waiting here for me? Nakamori-san." Kid fully turned and faced Aoko, but his cap was still tilting forward, masking his face features and all Aoko could see was that stupid smirk that she wished she could wipe it away from his face forever. "I'm surprised that you are able to guess my escape route."

"I did not guess it." Aoko corrected him. "This was one of the few escaping routes I thought you would pick, but I choose this because the chance is higher, but I was just betting on it."

Before Kid could say anything, Aoko could hear her father's yell in the distance. It seemed like the squad must have comprehend that the Kid they were chasing was a fake. Aoko noticed Kid shifted his feet and she jumped forward but Kid was faster. He started running and so did Aoko as their heavy steps echoed the empty street. She took out her phone and punched in her father's number, praying that he would pick up although he often wouldn't since he was always busy chasing after Kid to take notice of his phone.

Kid turned into an alley and Aoko followed closely behind, deciding not to shout for his name since it would only waste her energy instead. The street was rather empty, not like Aoko was puzzled about it since everyone nearby would have gone to watch Kid's performance, but her eyes were fixated on him rather than anything else at the current moment because she knew that if she were to blink, Kid would definitely disappear and she'll lost that very chance to see him behind bars.

Aoko's phone was beside her ears, her long scarf flowing along with the wind with her two eyes focused on nothing but what was in front of her. She couldn't even slow down just a little bit because if she did, she wouldn't be able to close that distance between Kid and her anymore. So she continued running and running, refusing to look anywhere else, just like the truck that was speeding towards her when she stepped on the road and was about to cross to the other side just like what Kid had done.

The few horns that sounded finally managed to make Aoko take note of her surroundings, and she did. But that moment was too late as she couldn't stop herself from taking another step forward and now she was directly in front of the truck that was trying to stop but the brakes couldn't work on time.

She felt like she was flying before hitting the ground, but there was no pain but warmth covering her body. After a long while, she had the courage to open her eyes to see what just happened.

Aoko wasn't knocked down, although she wasn't very sure. At least she could feel her own limbs and breathing wasn't a problem for now, but she felt tired all of the sudden.

"Are you alright? Nakmouri-san!" Kid yelled, patting her cheeks softly. Struggling to focus on the voice, she saw Kid right beside her but because of the cap, his face was shadowed.

"Not going to die, I guess..." Aoko groaned softly

"Hey are you two alright? Oh my goodness." The driver had already got off his vehicle, scratching his head in anxiousness before he went and dialed the police and ambulance. The last thing she remembered was Kid lightly slapping her face, asking her not to sleep but then there was darkness.

.o.

"I'm fine!"

"No you're not."

Aoko sighed heavily and crossed her arms as she slumped against the hospital bed with a small pout. Nakamori watched his stubborn daughter and sighed heavily as well before taking a seat on a plastic chair beside her bed.

"You had me worried sick." Nakamori looked up at Aoko, his eyes tired all of the sudden.

Aoko looked away, not used to her father looking at her like that. "It wasn't on purpose anyway."

Nakamori huffed. "Didn't I tell you to go home? Why are you even there in the first place?"

Aoko never got the chance to explain to her dad about everything, especially the part when she managed to locate Kid's escape route and how she was chasing him in the night. She wasn't sure if she should tell or not and she and been pondering on this issue ever since she woke up this morning, but when the first thing her father said to her when he came into her ward was about Kid's escape, she felt angry all of the sudden and wanted to be discharge immediately and an argument broke out.

Before she could even argue any further, the door slid open and a figure stepped in, both father and daughter turned to see who the visitor could be.

"Ah, Kaito-kun." Nakamori stood up from his seat and headed to the door as Kaito blinked. "Look after Aoko and make sure she don't move around too much. I'll go back to the station to give my report."

"I will." Kaito jokingly gave a salute as Aoko gritted her teeth, watching her father leave the ward and slid the door shut behind him, leaving the ward to Kaito and her alone.

"Since he cares more about Kid's report than me, why wouldn't he let me go home?" Aoko stared out at the window, her eyes looking far before she sighed and looked back at Kaito when he gave no respond. Kaito then took a seat beside her as he poured himself a glass of plain water and took a sip.

Aoko raised an eyebrow, suddenly noticing something that she almost missed out. "How did you even know I'm here?"

"Oh." Kaito gave a cheeky grin. "It was so friggin' cold these days and I was wondering if I could come to your house since my heater is not really working. I called you but no one answer so I called your dad and... yeah."

She scoffed and looked down at her blanket that was over her leg. "So should I be thanking you or your heater for visiting me?"

"Hey come on, at least I brought some flowers for you." Kaito snapped his fingers, and instead of roses popping between his fingers, a small bouquet of flowers appeared in his hand and Aoko stared in awe.

"Wow." Aoko accepted them and caressed the flowers gently and she gave a faint smile. "Thanks Kaito."

Kaito softened his eyes and surveyed Aoko's bandaged arm for a long while before he cleared his throat. "How did you get into this mess anyway?" He asked.

Aoko looked up from the flowers and stared at Kaito who looked earnestly curious. She bit her lips. Kaito was rather supportive of Kid, although he never appear in his heist to cheer on him like a normal fan would. But whenever Aoko spoke about how much he hated Kid for taking her dad away from her, Kaito would try to give some excuses to defend the magician thief, like how he probably have personal reasons to do all these stealing, but Aoko was never impressed enough to forgive Kid.

The problem now was that she didn't know if she should tell her best friend about her incident. She had heard from the nurse in charge of her that it was the driver who sent her to the hospital and there was no mention of anyone else, so the best reason Aoko could come up with was that he had escaped before the police came. But nonetheless, Kid still saved her from the tragedy that could have caused grief to her father and Kaito... and she owed him for that although she didn't want to admit in the first place.

Aoko clutched her bed sheets tightly. She wanted to say the truth to Kaito badly, but if she had to repay that debt she owed Kid, it would be best if she didn't reveal that incident that happened previously and keep it all to herself.

"Got into a car accident." Aoko paused for a moment, suddenly not sure what to say. Kaito wasn't called her best friend for nothing, he could easily see through her lies and furthermore she wasn't even a good liar in the first place, which was rather unfair since she was never good at reading his poker face yet he could read her like some ABC book. She then nodded her head slowly, deciding to stop her answer right there, she wasn't lying, it's just that she didn't say the whole truth.

"I see... glad that you're okay." Kaito's voice sounded strain as Aoko looked up curiously at him but a smile was already plastered on his face so she just dismissed that thought. All of the sudden, he slowly leaned forward and Aoko blinked a few times, moving back a little. Kaito smirked, his eyes slowly lingered from Aoko's eyes to her chest. "Luckily your boobs didn't contract any further or that'll be terrible."

"K-Kaito! You pervert!"

He grinned while Aoko blushed and they bickered all day.

* * *

My very first multi-chap woohoo  
Not sure if I upload this first chapter on impulse without preparing for the next one though opps,  
but reviews are appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Joker and Queen

Aoko owes Kaitou Kid a debt and she would do anything to repay it full. But when that debt continues to grow, when will Aoko ever break free from this Phantom Thief?

* * *

It's barely a week since Aoko's accident and Kid had already announced his next heist. Aoko looked over at her computer screen, absorbing the details of the heist's note that had been taken as a picture and uploaded on the internet. It stated that his next target would be the largest pink emerald in East Asia named Scarlet and it belonged to a millionaire in Tokyo, at exactly 8 P.M two days from now, which was Saturday.

Aoko had just finished her homework so she had some time to focus on Kid for a while. She searched for some images on Google, wondering how the millionaire's' mansion would look like before closing her computer when she knew the information she got would never be enough. If the heist was held in some public museum or some famous building, Aoko might be lucky enough to find some relevant images on Google, but for a private mansion like this particular case, it's a little tough for Aoko to do anything now.

She plopped on her bed and raised her arm, staring intently at that one long scratch on the back of her hand. It was taking quite a long time to heal but it was definitely much better compared to the first day when she was still in the hospital.

Aoko sighed and let her arm fell on her side. That wound reminded her that she was still alive, and the fact that she was still alive was all thanks to Kid and this irked her for some reason. Why couldn't she be more careful and watch out for cars on her own? Why couldn't she just escape from the incoming vehicle on her own? Why must it be Kid? Shaking her head, she decided not to think about the car accident anymore and focus on the heist instead.

_Should I skip this one?_ Aoko pondered for a while before deciding on the opposite. No matter if Kid was a criminal, he still saved her life and she felt the need to at least give him a thanks even though she would be more than glad to say her thanks when he was behind bars. But that heavy feeling in her heart just couldn't make her wait for that long, because deep down, she knew Kid couldn't be caught so easily even though she always prayed for her father's success.

And the last thing she ever wanted was to owe Kid _anything._

Aoko closed her eyes as she placed her heavy arm over her head. In the end, she never get to tell anyone about her incident with Kid, not even her dad. She couldn't find the courage or the correct time to break the news about it and she finally decided to let it be. Maybe if she were to really tell her father about this, he might never let her step a foot near Kid's heist ever again, be it to deliver him some afternoon snacks or to even watch Kid's _performance_ outside.

She rolled herself out of bed to prepare for the night, deciding to push those thoughts about Kid out of her mind for tonight.

.o.

Kaito had went home, like what she was told on the phone when he suddenly called and said something about getting some inspiration for his magic tricks and having to rush home to test it out. Aoko was used to him disappearing all of the sudden after she delivered food to her father so she didn't bother to fight with him over the phone and just ended their conversation smooth and quick.

Maybe she was a little glad that her best friend was gone for today too, she wanted to look around the mansion herself too and she didn't want her best friend to question her intentions for it.

She did take a small peek at the pink emerald before being told to back away by the arrogant millionaire and Aoko tried hard not to roll her eyes. True, the gem was truly rare and it must have been _very_ expensive, but there was no reason for that millionaire to be so rude just because she was taking a look at it for a while. Noticing that her father was still too busy to chase her out, she continued her way around and left the hall.

There were probably more than a dozen corridors connecting to another dozen that led to who-knows-where in the mansion. A hundred of rooms, probably and a huge-ass hall where the gem was secured in a glass box and surrounded by four guards while the millionaire was pacing up and down around it, counting every seconds till the clock hit eight at night. Servants were all told to go home early, to lessen the chance of Kid disguising them and that they might be a hindrance during the heist.

Aoko roamed around a bit more, hoping to find the chance to locate some possible ways of Kid's escape route but the mansion was just too big and she almost got lost herself. She noticed a few vents here and there and also a few windows but she was not too sure either. The mansion was only four storeys high, there might be a chance Kid would use the roof instead of the window if he was escaping with his glider.

The only door to the roof was locked, but she wouldn't be surprise if Kid could just open the door with some _magic_ of his. She scratched her chin and looked back at the rooms behind her.

_Should I take a peek inside? _Aoko bit her lips as she slowly made her way forward to one of those doors. Just when her hand encircled around the door knob, she immediately retracted them when her father was stomping towards her.

"Aoko." Nakamori said firmly before he turn to order his other squad members. "I want you guys to check every floor and make sure there is no one suspicious before reporting back to the hall."

"Yes sir!" They quickly scrambled to do what they were told.

Nakamori turned back to his daughter. "Go home now. Where's Kaito-kun?"

"Alright I'll go now. Kaito went back home first."

"Good, now go back. Shoo-shoo." Nakamori waved Aoko off as she slightly pouted. He then turned back and screamed something in his walkie-talkie before running off somewhere again.

Aoko slowly trudged towards the exit, contemplating what she should do now. Just as she was taking her own sweet time to the entrance, she noticed one of the policeman standing outside the bathroom, a hand clutching tightly onto the wall for support and he was panting slightly. As she came even closer, Aoko recognized the skinny man as one of the most hard-working member in her father's squad who never failed to take part in every single heist that Kid had announced. His dedication could mirror her own father.

"Are you alright Shinji-san?" Aoko commented and Shinji looked up tiredly, heavy bags under his eyes.

"It's just a slight fever. I should be fine, thanks for your concern Nakamori-san." He coughed.

"I really think you should go home and rest. You can barely stand!" Aoko said in concern as she gave a few pat on his back. "I can tell dad for you, you don't have to worry. Even though my dad put this job before everything, he still wouldn't let his squad members work when he's sick."

It was easy to convince Shinji to go home since he was really weak at that point to even think of any good reasons to reject Aoko's offer. She kindly guided him back to the police van and waited till he changed out and got a taxi waited for him near the mansion even though it was cold outside. Taking care of the sick would be the priority for now, she could think of her plan to interrupt Kid's escape later on.

After Aoko watched the taxi go, she was about to go back to the mansion to inform her dad since calling his phone would be pointless when she passed by the empty police van and she stopped. She stared at it silently for a moment before an idea struck her as she clapped her hand in glee before rushing forward. Aoko looked around in the van, grabbing hold onto the police uniform and the helmet Shinji had left behind inside and quickly creeped into the building again.

.o.

The clothes and helmet fitted her perfectly and maybe this was the only time Aoko was happy that her chest wasn't as big as she hoped it was. Shinji's size was similar to Aoko and she felt that it was definitely fate that made her destined to stay in the mansion to stop Kid. She didn't have any rubber bands to tie her hair into a bun so she had no choice but to try to stick most of her hair into the helmet, hoping it would make her looked just like a guy. Kaito mentioned that her figure was no different from a boy and she was always pissed about it when he kept on reminding it to her. But even if her best friend didn't say it, she knew that she indeed didn't have those curves like other girls had in her class.

Reporters and Kid's supporters were starting to flood outside the mansion, chanting all the way and it annoyed the millionaire to no end as he continued his endless ranting about how much he hated the noisy fans. There were two more hours till Kid would appear and now Aoko wished she could use this chance to look around instead of standing around the hall and doing nothing, but it was an order from her own dad so she couldn't do anything about it. Her legs were starting to ache, but she managed to forget all about the annoying pain when she was trying to guess how Kid would flashy enter the mansion and steal the pink emerald.

_Pink smoke bombs like usual? From the ceiling? From the ground? Could he already be inside, disguised as someone else? _Aoko glanced around carefully as she observed everyone in the hall. The millionaire was as usual, complaining about everything while her father was talking to one of the members of his squad. There were a few familiar faces she recognized, some dedicated workers, some long-term workers, but Aoko couldn't judge if they were real or fake just by looking at them.

As the seconds ticked by slowly but gradually, it was finally one minute before eight. The hall started to become tensed and the Inspector was already ready with his handcuffs in his pocket. Four guards around the glass box, all exits and windows were sealed, the Kid's supporters outside were chanting louder and louder as they were getting more excited.

It was finally time.

All of the sudden, everything in the hall became dark. There was a blackout and Nakamori was immediately yelling at someone from the control room to do something about it with his walkie talkie. Everyone were confused, wondering what would happen next but they still remained in their position, especially the four guards when they were ordered again to stay where they were by the Inspector.

The lights started flickering and the blackout was over. Everyone's eyes immediately flew to the transparent glass box and to everyone's horror, although Aoko sort of knew it was coming during that seven seconds interval when everything was in darkness, the jewel was already missing from its original position.

Everyone in the hall started panicking, the millionaire was in rage and Nakamori began yelling Kid's name and ordered the rest to look for him. While everyone were rushing to different corridors of the mansion, Aoko avoided the massive crowd of policemen pushing and rushing as she stepped back into the shadows, spying hard on the glass box. She remembered a trick Kaito showed her before, about how a transparent box looked empty from the outside but in fact, there were actually contents inside and she wondered if that trick was applied to this heist.

There were four guards that were supposed to be guarding the box and one of them, Aoko guessed, must have been Kid in disguise. And within that seven seconds of darkness, one of them must have done something to make the jewel disappeared, or maybe _looked_ like it had disappeared. She frowned even harder.

"My precious Scarlet! It's really gone!" The millionaire cried out after he hurried to the glass box and opened it, staring dazedly into the box before closing the lid angrily. A few policemen were loitering around, patrolling to see any signs of Kid but the millionaire suddenly flew into a temper. "Why are you tax robbers still standing around! Hurry up and go find that Kid and get my gem back!"

"We are suppose to take guard here-"

"I'll make sure to remember all of your faces so I'll report you people for slacking around!"

The few policemen looked doubtful for a moment but they finally gave in as they signalled each other and started running off to join the search for Kid.

"What are you doing there?! Hurry and find Kid as well!" The millionaire glared at Aoko when he spotted her at the corner but she remained unfazed. She took a step forward and smiled sweetly at the scrawny millionaire.

"I already found him." Aoko said merrily.

"Where is he?" The millionaire went to full alert as he started glancing around.

She briskly walked towards him and grabbed hold of his wrist. The millionaire was immediately caught in surprise as Aoko quickly flipped the lid open. Just like what she guessed, the pink jewel was still inside and the millionaire...no... Kid was actually hoping to use the chance to chase everyone away from the hall to take the jewel and escape by himself.

"Oh, the gem is back." The millionaire smiled faintly.

"You don't look very happy." Aoko glowered.

"Maybe." The voice had changed, it was no longer the deep and grumpy millionaire's voice that Aoko had been hearing for the past few hours. It was Kid's and she knew it the minute he said that single word because she hated it so much that she had carved that very voice in the back of her mind.

"The real millionaire was knocked out in his room!" There was a faint shout coming from one of the corridor suddenly. "That guy in the hall must be Kid!"

With a poof, Aoko couldn't feel the wrist of the man anymore as she stepped back and stood in a sort of battle stance. Kid was already in his white suit and pants, his hat tilted forward as his cape swirled around his leg before it floated behind his back. His hand contained the shiny pink emerald. Without saying a word, he sprinted away to the other side. Aoko quickly gave chase.

They ran from corridors to corridors and Aoko was wondering where most of the squad members were when there were so many of them but none of them were there to stop Kid's track. But her question was finally answered when Kid was about to make a turn but he U-turn back when he noticed a couple of policemen running along the next corridor that he was about to go to.

Kid almost collided into Aoko when he turned back but she still fell back when she stopped too suddenly. Kid grabbed her arm and pulled her forward as she nearly landed on his chest and she shrieked at the close contact although he helped to break her fall. He immediately dragged her along with him and after passing a few doors, he opened one and shut it fast but quietly behind them.

They were in a small storeroom, a couple of old stools and chairs and also a few boxes lying here and there. It was a little dark and only a hand-sized window was located at the corner of the room, allowing some light to shine in. Kid was leaning closely against the door, his face looking stern. After a short while, there wasn't any sound from outside, seeming that those policemen didn't take notice of him just now to inspect this corridor. He smiled at the fact before turning around to face Aoko who was already fuming at him.

"Nakamori-san!" Kid said in surprise as he straightened his posture and leaned on the clean wall beside the door. "Fancy meeting you, again. I appreciate your silence until now."

"Fancy." Aoko muttered dryly, taking off her helmet as her long hair fell nicely and smoothly on her shoulders. She then put the helmet under her arm as she stepped forward and stood in the middle of the room. "You sounded so shock to see me even though you've seen me already. You are really good in switching between characters, aren't you?" Her tone tainted with sarcasm.

"Oh thank you." Kid accepted her words.

Aoko clicked her tongue. "It's not a compliment!"

"Are you taking an interest on your father's career? That's really filial of you. I'm sure you will surpass your father in no time." Kid said smoothly.

Aoko sneered. "The only interest I have is for my fist to connect your jaw."

Kid waved both of his hands. "No violence intended, Nakamori-san." Kid then eyed down at Aoko's arm and he blinked slowly. "I hope your injuries are healed by now."

Aoko stepped back, as an act of defense at his change of tone, wondering what Kid meant before he closed the distance between them and took her hand. Only after a few seconds passed then she was able to compose herself when he touched her as she immediately pulled her hand away and took another step back, to only realize the wall was right behind her and there was no space for her to back away anymore.

"I'm fine." Aoko hissed before her eyes moved to the sudden sound behind the door.

_"Kid must be around here somewhere. Team A go this side and Team B go that side!"_ Nakamori's yelling could even be heard clearly from the inside the storeroom.

_"Yes sir!"_ The teams responded before the sound of running boots clacking loudly everywhere.

"Look." Aoko turned away from the door and glared back at Kid who was still scrutinizing her every move closely, his eyes never leaving hers even when the door was behind him. "I have did you a favor by letting you off when I can just scream right now and everyone will rush here and it's over for you."

"What makes you think that I want you to do a favor for me?" Kid sounded hurt, but Aoko knew he was just faking that tone. What a stupid and _very _infuriating actor.

"I just don't want to owe _you_ anything." Aoko emphasized. "You saved me that time, and now I'll let you off as a way of repaying my debt. That's why I hope that this is the end of it and the next time I ever see you, you'll be in handcuffs."

"I saved you because I wanted to. I wouldn't want you to get hurt because you are chasing after me." Kid said plainly, there was no flirtatious or kidding tone, just plain... or maybe... serious. There was a short pause. "You never owed me anything."

Aoko huffed. "You sounded so nice. Maybe you should have slowed down a bit so I can catch you much easier that day." She snarled.

Kid's solemn expression was long gone and he chuckled, but Aoko didn't see how her words sounded funny at all. "That would have been a much pleasant outcome for you, Nakamori-san, but not for me." He smirked and Aoko immediately growled inwardly.

Did she ever mention how much she hated it when the magician thief curled his lips like that? She wasn't even this angry compared to how Kaito always flipped up her skirt every single day. Aoko just disliked the fact that Kid could still be so relaxed, as if he was enjoying every single second when the police force, or rather her father, was chasing him so foolishly for so long.

The sound of the running footsteps seemed to become clearer and clearer.

_"Open every single door and leave none unchecked!"_ Nakamori yelled.

The sound of door opening and slamming could be heard. Kid glanced back at the door before looking back at Aoko again.

"I would love to stay and chat but I have to go." Kid gave a small bow. "I guess we'll be meeting again, until the day you see me in handcuffs." He said.

"Even if I'm letting you get away, you must return the gem." Aoko snapped.

"It will be return soon enough once I confirmed something with it."

"What?" Aoko spat. "Confirm if it was fake or genuine? Are you trying to sniff out all the imitation because you're actually some hero in disguise? Benefitting the jewel industry from being scammed?"

"Very interesting, Nakamori-san. You can write a novel with such a creative mind you have." He leaned forward and his smirk immediately changed to his usual charismatic smile.

Aoko blinked in surprise and in just that split second, he was already on his way, opening that small vent in the corner of the room. Aoko sulkily watched him, but she didn't stop him and she felt that Kid knew she wouldn't too. For a moment, Aoko wasn't sure if the thief really trusted her so much to actually escape in such a calm manner when she could betray him in every way.

But then, she really wasn't going to do that because she promised Kid that she'll let him escaped and she wasn't going to go back on her own words. Aoko disliked liars and she didn't intend to become one. Even if she lied to a criminal, lying _is_ still lying.

Before he squeezed inside that small space, he turned and gave a wink and Aoko shuddered and scowled. "Goodnight Nakamori-san."

Aoko gritted her teeth and waved her fist in the air. "I hope your white suit turned black when you get out from the other side!"

"That's not really a nice thing to say, Nakamori-san." Kid's muffled voice echoed in the vent. He hook onto one of the holes of the metal cover with his foot and closed it softly behind him. Soon after, Aoko could hear his shuffling noise as the sound got fainter and fainter till there was no more.

It took Aoko quite a while to make sure she was really alone before she slumped right onto a dusty stool across the door and threw the heavy helmet on her side as it twirled around for a moment. Her legs were wobbly and she got a little dizzy all of the sudden. It was like an after-effect for being in the same room with Kid for more than five minutes, but even if she wanted to find some excuses to dismiss her jittery feelings, she couldn't run away from the truth.

Aoko was _entirely_ nervous when Kid was with her.

She let out a breath and both of her hands curled into a fist. This was the first time she ever interacted with Kid, and it was a small conversation that didn't end within three sentences. It wasn't exactly Aoko's favourite topic, but the fact that she was in the same room as him, breathing the same air together, it really made her nervous. Although she knew the thief would never harm her, but it was scary, to be alone with a criminal who was probably twice her age with so many tricks in his hand while all she had was just a voice for her to scream if she felt the need to.

But Aoko knew he would have a hundred of ways to keep her mouth shut and she was glad he didn't do anything to her. Very glad actually.

And how dare he _tried_ to flirt with her. His attempts probably worked on his thousands of female fans but it didn't worked for her, in fact, it actually disgusted her. Kid was definitely much older than her and she couldn't help but feel irritated at how he was trying to act all caring and gentleman-like in front of her. What was he even trying to do? Making a young high school student fall in love with him for his charming acts?

Aoko sighed as she stared down at her covered hand.

Kid was the one that dragged her into this room in the first place, but Aoko knew that he would definitely have a back-up plan if Aoko were to do anything to expose his location. Maybe he would gagged her, or maybe he would use a sleeping gas bomb. Probably the latter. But still, she had chosen to let him off _willingly_ so it was considered a debt paid. Everything was over. She was finally free from this stupid burden.

The clattering footsteps outside were getting louder and louder until a few shadows lurked under the dim light that shone under the door and it was flung opened.

Aoko who was sitting opposite the door stood up immediately, feeling relieved that it was her father, along with a few other policemen that inspected the room and not anyone else.

"Dad!"

At first shock flashed across Nakamori's face but anger quickly replaced it. "Kaitou Kid! How dare you impersonate my daughter!" Nakamori jumped onto Aoko and started pinching her cheeks as she yelped out loud. "Get him! We have finally caught Kid!" He turned and ordered as the policemen were all about to pounce on Aoko.

"Dad! I'm Aoko! It's really me!" She cried out.

Noticing what he was pinching was indeed flesh, he backed away, so did the rest of the squad members as he realized the person in front of him was indeed his daughter. Aoko rubbed her sore cheeks as tears gathered around her eyes due to the pain.

"It's really you." Nakamori said blankly before he frowned again. "Why the hell are you here in the storeroom, furthermore in this police outfit?! Aren't you suppose to go home long ago?"

Before Aoko could say anything, Nakamori's walkie talkie suddenly came to life and his attention was immediately snapped away.

"Kaitou Kid is already outside! He is heading South-East from here!"

"Get the rest to chase after him! Prepare a car outside, I'm coming right over." Nakamori yelled in the walkie-talkie before he glanced at Aoko. "Go home first and we'll talk about it later." Without waiting for a reply, he whirled around swiftly and rushed off with his team, leaving Aoko all alone in the store room.

She wasn't suppose to feel like this; not when her father always leave her all by herself to catch Kid, but when Aoko noticed the creaking door moving back and forth slowly, she felt a little lonely inside.

Obeying her father, she slowly made her way outside, trying her best to find the entrance of the empty mansion after she changed back to her own clothes. It took her quite a while to finally get out, but at least for the past fifteen minutes, she managed to get her attention away from her sore cheek and that stupid thief clad in white.

* * *

Wow, this story got a little more well-received than I thought it would. Thanks to everyone who favourite and review this story, it really motivated me to continue writing! Updates soon to come and reviews are appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Joker and Queen

Aoko owes Kaitou Kid a debt and she would do anything to repay it full. But when that debt continues to grow, when will Aoko ever break free from this Phantom Thief?

* * *

"Please." Aoko tugged onto Kaito's jacket for the fifth time after they met up. "Just show me that trick you used on Hakuba already."

"No." Kaito repeated the same answer over and over again. "Even if I perform that trick, I need new audiences."

"Why not? Isn't it the same if I'm the audience? You can show it to me." Aoko pleaded. "Please, I really want to see it again."

"I prefer using my tricks on something like this." Kaito stopped on his tracks and Aoko followed, not sure what her best friend was up to. He waved his hand above Aoko's head and all of a sudden, two doves appeared on her head and started flapping their wings. Feathers began to litter on Aoko like snow and she shrieked in surprise, earning curious glances from several passer-by while Kaito was giggling at his successful prank. He snapped his fingers and the doves disappeared with a _poof!_

"You're an asshole!" Aoko exclaimed, collecting all the feathers from her shoulder and clothes.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to see my tricks? I've let you seen one."

Aoko snarled as she raised her fist that was filled with feathers. "Not this one!"

They continued their way down the streets, Aoko was still picking the feathers on her jacket and pants while Kaito helped to take some from her hair although he still made fun of her along the way. They entered the cafe they were planning to go in the first place and settled down inside before ordering their drinks.

"It's freezing." Kaito rubbed both of his hands together.

"Is there a reason why you couldn't show me your magic tricks? It's not like I'm asking you to swim across the Atlantic Ocean." Aoko continued the conversation although she knew that Kaito was trying to distract her so she could stop already.

"Why the hell do you even want to see that trick again?" Kaito grumbled. "You were the first one to yell at me to stop making a fool out of that Hakuba."

Aoko started fiddling with her thumb while licking her dry and cracked lips. "For... reference?"

"Reference?" Kaito raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Since when are you into magic?"

"I don't know?" Aoko scratched her cheeks and looked out of the window, not daring to look into his eyes. "Maybe like, last week or something."

"Yeah right." Kaito scoffed. "If you have so much time, you might want to look up on how to increase the size of your chest."

"Stop reminding me about my chest!" Aoko huffed.

Their hot drinks finally arrived and the conversation came to a stop. Without saying anything, their hands encircled around the ceramic cup to transform the warmth to their skin and they heaved a sigh of relief in union. It was a habit the both of them came up with when the weather was cold a few years ago. They were still in middle school and both of them ordered a hot chocolate in this same exact cafe. It was snowing and even when they were indoors, the cold within their body never went away. Without thinking much, Aoko immediately went and covered the waist of the cup with her hands and Kaito followed when he saw that pleasant look on her face and since then, they concluded that this was the best method to keep them warm during the cold period in Tokyo.

Aoko closed her eyes and her lips tugged to form a smile as the warmth surged within her body while the memories flooded back. She always looked forward to the days when both of them would meet up to enjoy a small break like this when it was cold. This tradition hadn't break although years had passed, but she wouldn't be surprise if that day ever happen. Yes, Kaito was her best friend, but how long could this last? Aoko never tried to bring this matter up, but if they ever went on their separate paths, be it studies, career or even relationship, would Kaito ever miss her?

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Kaito who was still enjoying his little heater within his hands. Aoko sighed inwardly. She once kiddingly imagined that their friendship actually developed into something more than that, but how was that possible? Kaito was always in his own world and magic had always been his passion and life, whereas love wasn't something he was ever interested in. Aoko then lowered her gaze.

Kaito was a pervert, but other than flipping up her skirt and peeking into girl's locker room, no one managed to catch his eyes in a romantic way. Aoko never once heard him compliment anyone for their looks before and she wondered what his standards were. But since he always mentioned about her chest, he probably liked girls with big boobs or something.

"So what's up with the sudden enthusiasm to know about tricks and magics?"

Her thoughts were immediately cut off as she blinked, her attention went back to Kaito. He was already sipping his coffee, something that he started drinking since last year when he began his sleeping patterns in class.

"Well," Aoko gave a pause and picked up her cup to take a slow sip as well, using this chance to gather her thoughts and reply a good answer. "I'm just a little curious about how magic works."

Kaito scoffed. "And? Are you actually trying to see through my tricks once I show them to you?"

"So what if I am?" Aoko sneered back.

He rolled his eyes. "That gives me ten extra reasons why I shouldn't show you any, stupid. We have our magicians' rule, you know. How can we just show you our tricks twice for you to figure out the methods?"

Aoko slumped back onto her seat. "That's the thing. That's why my father can never catch him. That's why he's been suffering in this entire crazy loop, neglecting his own health to catch that arrogant ass... That's why I'm always..." She couldn't continue anymore as she fought back the tears that gathered in her eyes whenever she thought of this particular subject, even worse when it was in front of Kaito.

"You referring to Kid?"

That sudden interruption shocked her a little, but Aoko regained her composure soon enough as she glared down at her reflection in her drink. "That's right." She blurted, her temper rose at the mention of that very name.

"You really hate Kid that much, huh?" It sounded more of a statement than a question.

Aoko flicked her gaze over to Kaito. "Does the desire to see a person behind bars equivalent to hating that person?"

"Pretty much the same." Kaito shrugged carelessly.

Aoko shrugged back. "I guess that's my answer."

"But maybe... you know, that guy isn't as bad as he seems. He didn't steal the jewel for money, he still returned them in the end."

"That doesn't cancel the fact that he's still a criminal and making a fool out of my father when he is always trying his best!" Aoko snapped, trying to calm herself down when she realized she was almost yelling at her best friend. After a short pause, she continued with a small pout. "Why do you always side with him anyway?" She mumbled softly.

He glanced up abruptly, showing a bewildered look but it was quickly wiped away for his usual poker face. "It's true that he's a criminal, but there's probably a reason to what he is doing."

Aoko didn't lose her father in a way that Kaito did, but she always thought that he might understand her pain of losing those precious time with her father because of a stupid thief. Although Aoko always felt this way, she never said her thoughts out loud, at least not to remind Kaito about his father's death again. Having her father taken away and feeling lonely by herself was enough, she didn't need Kaito to remember those painful moments he had to go through when he was young again.

Dismissing those thoughts, Aoko crossed her arms. "No matter the reason, he still-" Aoko blinked as an image flashed across her mind. That moment when she thought she was going to die, to leave this world without getting to see her father or even Kaito for the last time. But instead, she was being cradled in the arms of that person, safe and sound.

Those memories were as clear as water to her and she was never able to forget that night even if she tried her hardest to. But since that debt was returned, she repeatedly reminded herself that it was alright to loathe Kid like how she used to because that fact that he stole her father away from her could never be changed.

"Hey, Earth to Ahoko, Ahoko?" Kaito snapped his fingers.

"Let's just drop it." Aoko turned to her bag, ignoring that idiotic nickname that Kaito used to call her. "The reason why we even meet up is to talk about the Christmas Party that we are supposed to organize for the class." She started rummaging the content inside, searching for the brochures she collected and brought to discuss with.

Kaito immediately groaned. "All thanks to you."

"Thanks to _me_?" Aoko hollered as she set her bags aside when she heard of the accusation. "If you didn't flip up my skirt, none of this would have happen!"

"You were the one who threw the freaking mop out of the window. Because of that, we are picked to be responsible for this stupid event." He argued back.

"The mop wouldn't have flew out if you stand right there for me to hit."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Did the cold freeze your brain? I could have got a concussion if that mop struck me."

"And maybe you might become less perverted after that!" Aoko gritted her teeth.

The cafe was suddenly filled with angry curses and yells, their hot drinks left forgotten.

.o.

Aoko reached home in the late afternoon, completely worn out from fighting with Kaito while discussing about the plans for the Christmas party. She kicked off her shoes and set them aside, to surprise herself when a pair of worn out shoes was placed nicely by the door. Aoko beamed and quickly walked into her house, looking around to find her father sitting on the sofa and reading his newspaper.

"You're home!" Aoko exclaimed.

"It's a Sunday." He muttered as he flipped to the next page.

Aoko rolled her eyes. "Does Sunday even matters to you before? Furthermore it was Kid's heist yesterday, I thought you'll be busy writing reports in the office or maybe party till you're dead drunk."

"Now that you mentioned about that..." He placed the newspaper on his lap and stared hard at her daughter. "Why are you in the mansion, and in one of my squads' uniform?"

"Well," Aoko rubbed her cold nose as she tugged off her sweater, trying to buy time to think of a response. "I want to see how you work. I never got to see it by myself other than on television."

"You shouldn't even be there." Her father stated. "What if you run into Kid? Do you even know how to manage him?"

_I've met him, twice even._ "But I want to stop Kid too." Aoko said in a brittle voice. _I want to stop him so badly, so, so badly..._

"No." He insisted and Aoko's heart sank. "Leave Kid to me. You should be focusing on studying, and it's too dangerous."

"I'll go when I'm free, really. I won't ever neglect my studies." Aoko assured as clasped her two hands together and gave a pleading look. "I'll be fine! I promise. I won't do anything reckless. Don't you want to catch Kid as soon as possible? I might be able to do it if you let me be involved!"

Nakamori sighed. "This is not a game, Aoko-"

"I know." She cut in. "I know that it's a _little_ dangerous to face off with Kid. But you once told me that Kid never let any blood shed during his heist. I'll be fine."

Her father looked down at his lap, seeming to ponder for a bit. Her request wasn't something bad; her presence might even increase the chance to capture Kid and that would be all the Task Force wanted. Aoko knew all she needed was just one more push and she'll definitely able to convince him to let her be part of their pursuit for Kid. She smiled at the thought and continued talking when her father made no comment.

"If you ever feel that I'm not suitable to continue, you can ban me from participating again."

After a long silence, he sighed again. "Alright, I'll let you in. Just don't interrupt my plans to stop Kid or you're out."

Aoko jumped up from her seat and pulled her father to his feet, hugging him before she started dancing on her own, elated. "Thank you Dad!"

He silently scratched his head, watching her daughter bouncing up and down animatedly in the living room.

.o.

"Here's a walkie talkie." Her father handed the hand-held radio as Aoko preciously took it and kept it inside the pocket of her warm jacket.

"Got it."

"For now, I'll let you act on your own but I won't hesitate to send you back home if anything _unpleasant_ happens." He reminded for the eighth time since they left the house together but Aoko never stopped her father's nagging. In fact, it pleased her that he was spending his time to repeat his words over and over again for her, even though the matter was related to Kid.

"Understood." A small smile formed on her lips.

"Good." The Inspector glanced around the museum, a few dozens of the squad members were in their position and ready for their mission. He turned away, leaving his daughter alone and started commanding his Task Force to report and some other rambles that Aoko didn't bother to hear.

Her eyes moved to Kid's target for the night. A national treasure that was supposed to be exhibited this Sunday; Heart of the Sea, an old blue diamond with a long ancient history. She scrutinized the gem inside the electrified cage, along with the usual four guards standing around it, back facing the priceless diamond.

She had thought a lot for the past two days after Kid sent his note to the police. If she had to think of how Kid would steal the jewel, she could take weeks to uncover his tricks if she wasn't lucky enough to recognize it like how she did during the Scarlet's heist.

That was the difference between how smart Kid was compared to Aoko. His knowledge and experiences with magic and tricks were definitely infinite, whereas all Aoko knew were just some small tricks and pranks that Kaito made on her and other people, if she could even remember all of it since Kaito firmly insisted that he wouldn't repeat his tricks twice with the same audience. Aoko did admit to herself that it was just pure luck that she coincidentally noticed the trick Kid used when he was stealing Scarlet just last Saturday and if there was a need, some credits should go to Kaito since the reason how she managed to unravel Kid's tricks so easily was because of him.

And no matter how much Aoko wished for Kid's failure, she knew that by the time the clock hit Thursday's midnight; the exact moment when Kid stated that the jewel would be his, the Heart of the Sea would be gone from the cage like what he said. Aoko glanced and moved away from the gem. Her plan for tonight was not to stop Kid from taking his prize, but to stop Kid from leaving with his prize. It sounded nearly impossible for both, but it was worth a shot for the latter since she was _slightly_ better at that.

Just around the corner of the hall, Aoko noticed a few cameraman loitering about, along with their own TV station's news reporter, broadcasting live at the museum. Aoko slowly backed away, hoping none of the cameras had captured her face. She never told Keiko and her other friends about her new night job, although she wasn't exactly paid for it.

And most importantly, Kaito.

It was him that worried Aoko the most. She knew how Kaito liked that stupid thief although she could never seem to understand it in his point of view. Maybe it was because Kid was also a magician like him, and liking someone who was similar to you wasn't that surprising. But nonetheless, Aoko really didn't want to argue with her best friend too much just because of Kid. She had lost her father to a criminal, there was no need for her best friend to be taken away as well.

Clearing her mind, she skipped away to the other parts of the museum, greeting the squad members along the way. Her father had notified everyone about her recruitment and she felt welcomed by all of them. At least that was what she hoped and no one would change their opinion, finding her to be a burden like what her father originally thought she would be.

She came to this museum before, a few months ago with the class for some History field trip and she roughly remembered the routes and layout of it. There weren't any doors compared to the last heist, only a couple of large rooms that displayed several artifacts, rare gems and paintings. There wasn't really a spot for Kid to hide if he wanted to, neither was there any vents for him to escape like what he did last time.

_Roof._ Aoko nodded to herself. It was common for Kid to escape from the roof because the glider was definitely part of his costume for some reason. But there were chances when he would use those dummies to fake his escape, and ended up taking the stairs and going through the back door instead, just like her first encounter with Kid.

Aoko stroked her chin, trying to straighten out her thoughts. There were just too many ways Kid would escape and Aoko wasn't sure which one he would use. It was as if she had to think like a magician, think like criminal, think like a playful and arrogant jerk who liked the play with the police force in the palms of his hands but she just couldn't fit herself in any of these roles. She never had the talent for acting, which was why she found lying hard, not only because it was a bad thing, she couldn't lie without being seen through it easily as well.

While Aoko was thinking to herself, she was still walking pointlessly, not really having a place in mind but eventually, she came across one of the stairs that lead to the top of the museum. After considering for a while, she finally decided to make use of this as a sign that Kid would be using the roof. Even if he was going to use it as his escape plan or a distraction from his real escape route, there might be a chance they would cross paths.

She looked down at her watch. Ten more minutes to twelve. Without thinking much anymore, Aoko rushed up the stairs without any second wasted, estimating that Kid should be done with his thievery in just five minutes and ready to escape after he finished his work.

When Aoko reached the top, she pushed the metal door open, stepping outside and it immediately slammed right back into place due to the strong gust of wind blowing across the roof. Her ears and hands were immediately cold against the stinging wind, the air that escaped her mouth turned into white smoke and she quickly stuck her hands into the pocket of her sweater, giving a shiver.

"It's so cold." She spoke to no one, or maybe just to the Mother Nature. She hastily inspected her surrounding and rushed over to the huge ventilation fan that was located at the corner of the roof. Aoko snuck behind it and squatted down, grunting heavily when the cold metal brushed against her sweater and she shivered again, but it was the only spot Aoko could hide in the vast and empty roof. There were faint shouts and chattering below and Aoko could picture Kid's fans gathering outside the museum, holding those fan boards and cheering for the thief.

Aoko could never understand them.

As she was trying to settle down in the cold weather, Aoko almost got a heart attack when her walkie-talkie in her pocket came to life. The sound of her father yelling orders to his squad was blasting in the windy night.

_"He's heading to the roof! Get him!" _Her father's command crackled on her radio.

_Kid is coming, he's really coming this way. _Aoko stared at her watch, the needle hands showing 12:08. She sucked in a huge breath and her hands quickly fumbled into her pocket and she fished out the small hand-held radio. She checked the radio for a few second and finally found the button to switch it off. The last thing she needed was Kid to find out about her location before she could even find his.

Not even a minute passed and the door burst open and Aoko was too startled that she dropped her walkie-talkie onto the ground with a small thud. She scrambled to pick it up swiftly as she winced to herself for her carelessness, praying that the rumbling wind could disguise the noise. There were echoes of footsteps approaching and then there was a yell.

"Kid! You won't get away!"

"It seems to me like it's the opposite."

Aoko slowly lifted herself from her squatting position, her head popping out from the back of the ventilation fan until her eyes managed to see what was behind it. Kid was already standing on the railing that was surrounding the roof, the jewel was nowhere to be found but Aoko knew it must be somewhere on his body. Her father and the rest of the Task Force were standing a few metres away from the thief, their body very tensed, as if they were watching a marble balancing itself on the tip of an iceberg.

"Kaitou Kid!"

"It's Kaitou Kid! He's on the roof!"

"Kaitou Kid! Kaitou Kid! Kaitou Kid!"

Everyone below started screeching like mad but no one on the roof seemed to care about the noise or the distractions, their eyes solely on the relaxed Kid. Aoko's attention was set upon her father once again. She knew how hard her father had been racking his brains everyday and using his entire lifetime chasing Kid, giving up his career as a homicide detective for this endless chasing and never once rest or take a day off when Kid turned up, be it a prank or a real heist. Aoko softened her eyes.

Her father was getting older every second but despite that, he never lost his focus and pride in his will to capture Kid. But all Aoko wanted was for her father to stop, give it a rest, and maybe spend just a little time with his only daughter and not to use half of the day making plans and collaborating with owners to catch Kid and the other half of the day writing reports and getting himself drunk with his colleagues after every heist.

"Tackle him!" He abruptly yelled and everyone rushed forward. Aoko almost stood up from her position, not expecting her father to even give out that order. Kid was standing on the railing, if they were to catch him, wouldn't everyone fall?!

As usual, Kid was fast, or even faster than everyone. He slowly leaned back and dived down, head first. Aoko gasped and everyone immediately stopped on their tracks, contemplating what they should do next. Within the very next seconds, Kid was already flying in his glider and away from the museum, not even looking back once. She let out a breath, feeling a little at ease that Kid didn't actually went to commit suicide.

What the hell was she even thinking?

"Damn it!" The Inspector cursed and stormed towards the staircase, rambling some incoherent words into his walkie-talkie while the squad members rushed down as well and the door slammed tightly shut behind all of them. After a few seconds when she was sure she was alone on the roof, she sneaked out from her hiding place and took a few tentative steps towards the spot where Kid leapt from the building.

Aoko looked down at the crowd. It had nearly dispersed to almost nothing in front of the museum's entrance. Some hard core fans might be chasing after Kid, some may be returning back home to sleep after watching the performance…

Yes, _performance._

Her dad's failure had been broadcasted all over Japan, and the next day, it would be published in newspaper and all over the internet for the world to see. It meant nothing to the audience because it was all a performance for them. Kid was just a charming and smart magician that outwitted and made a fool out of Japan's police force, stealing jewels from famous or rich people but nothing else was taken away from those Kid's supporters, those onlookers... nothing.

But Kid had stolen everything from Aoko, her father, her childhood that was supposed to be filled with fatherly love, her time that was supposed to be spent with her only kin... No one was able to understand her feelings, not even Kaito who was also one of the thousands of people who worshiped Kid like he was doing some righteous thing.

She gripped around the metal railing and shut her eyes tightly, the cold stinging her palm but she didn't care. At least this pain could distract her from that aching feeling in her heart.

"Stupid Kaitou Kid!" She cried out. "Stupid, _stupid_, stupid!"

Aoko immediately whirled around, letting the wind to drown her shouts as she stormed towards the exit. She wouldn't mind staying here and bawl the entire night to vent her anger and stress, but she felt that sleeping might be the better choice since she still had school in hours time.

Just as her hands were about to reach for the door handle that lead to the stairs, something caught her eyes, something shiny and bright, reflecting the light like how a jewel worked. She widened her eyes at the thought and spun to her side.

It was none other than the white magician thief, leaning onto one of the railings at the side of the roof. His arm was in the air and the blue gem in his hands, the moonlight was shining right through it, reflecting that very light that Aoko saw at the corner of her eyes beforehand. Kid was staring at it for a while, as if he was expecting something to happen.

It was impossible. Aoko swore that she saw Kid gliding away from this very place although she recalled that when he jumped, there was a split second when she couldn't see him before he appeared again in his gliders. Was it even possible for him to change a dummy to his position so fast like lightning and then climb back to the roof?

But this was Kaitou Kid, someone who once teleported from one place to another and also walked in mid-air like nothing. She really shouldn't be so surprise by a minor switch of place that Kid had done to trick the police millions of times.

Aoko had no idea how long she'd been standing there or if Kid even noticed her presence. Once she realized she probably looked really foolish, she quickly straightened her posture and directed her shouts at him.

"K-Kid!" She yelled, her voice slightly cracked even though she tried her hardest not to. She prayed that Kid would regard it as the result of the cold instead of the fact that she was utterly shocked or nervous.

He calmly pushed himself from the railings and the blue gem disappeared once Aoko's eyes left his hand. Kid bowed, his white silky cape flowed along with the wind.

"Hello Nakamori-san." Kid greeted, completing his bow and tipping his hat forward before looking up at the dark sky. Aoko could strain her eyes to get a better look at Kid's features, but the shadow of his hat and the monocle made her think twice about the effort. Furthermore, the roof wasn't really well-lit in the first place. "Nice to meet you again. Admiring the full moon?" He gave a suave smile, his head still held high.

"Yea, I'm also imagining the image when the handcuffs are around your wrists." Aoko hissed.

He looked down at her. "So are you officially part of the Task Force?"

"It doesn't matter if I'm in or not, I'll still see you in a cell very soon." She spat.

"But don't forget that your health is still very important. You'll catch a cold in this chilly weather." Kid said, completely nonchalant to Aoko's threats.

"Thank you _very_ much." Aoko muttered dryily. She was boiling with rage and the coldness she felt previously was almost forgotten.

When the sound of the police siren blasted in the almost silent night, Kid leaned back against the railing and watched the scene below. Aoko couldn't see from where she was standing, but it was probably her father and the rest of the squad members boarding the police cars and preparing to chase foolishly at the dummy like they always did.

"Aren't you going to tell Inspector Nakamori that I'm here instead of the one that just flew away?" Kid was still looking down, back leaning against the cool metal, his hands in his pocket and an ankle crossed over the other.

"I'll be glad to do it right this second. But I'm pretty sure once I even hold the walkie-talkie, you'll be flying off." Aoko snarled.

Kid turned to stare at Aoko and slowly nodded his head, as if he was trying to register what she had just said. "Since you are not doing so, are you anticipating for a little chat session with me instead?" He spoke innocently.

Aoko gritted her teeth, her fists clenched tightly together. "That is the worst insult I've ever received."

"That's true. Many must have called you pretty and cute."

"Are you mocking me now?" Aoko growled.

"I'm not." Kid smiled. "You look amazing right there."

"In sweater and jeans?" Aoko rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You must be trying really hard to compliment me. Like I said before, I'm not your typical group of fan girls."

Kid chuckled softly. "Of course, you're the special one. But really, I like how sporty you look tonight."

That was it, Aoko quickly grabbed the radio in the pocket of her sweater and was about to switch it on when Kid made a sudden move in his standing position. He took out one of his gloved hands and waved, the blue gem that was missing up till now appeared right between his fingers. Just one careless move and that jewel could have slipped and fell right to the bottom.

"Catch." He said smoothly when the jewel left his hand as he threw the precious gem up into the air.

"Wait no-!" Aoko dropped her walkie-talkie as she frantically watched the Heart of the Sea flying in the air and towards her direction. She spread her arms, ready to even use her life to catch that palm-sized jewel that probably worth more than a million times of her entire family assets. Once the cold gem landed safely in her hands, she heaved a sigh of relief and her head shot up. Kid was no longer there like she expected to be.

Aoko ran towards the railing and glanced around, not even the slightest sign of Kid could be seen. She peered down at the jewel she caught before she ran her other hand through her bushy hair, a little annoyed.

She definitely had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

What a long chapter phew... So for the past three chapters, I've been writing Aoko's POV and I was thinking if I should change it to narrator's POV or maybe even Kaito's POV in some chapters in the future. It's actually really interesting to write these character's POV in many situations and I hope to explore more of it in the future. Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated hehe.


	4. Chapter 4

Joker and Queen

Aoko owes Kaitou Kid a debt and she would do anything to repay it full. But when that debt continues to grow, when will Aoko ever break free from this Phantom Thief?

* * *

New Year came and went and in a blink of an eye, it was nearly the end of January. The weather was still cold, but it was bearable compared to the last two months and she never hated Kid so much for holding so many heist during the coldest point of the year. Most of the heists took place in mansions or building, which Aoko was never more grateful than ever, although there were times when it was held in bizarre place like in the middle of the plaza and she thought she was going to die from the cold.

As for today, Aoko was chasing after Kid on the biggest ship that she never thought she would be in, ever. She didn't know if she should feel excited or what, but for the past two hours when she was roaming around the cruise on her own, she wished Kaito was with her.

Today's prize was a huge diamond again and Aoko didn't bother to try remembering the long and confusing name of it. Kid had successfully stolen it, not like she was expecting for a different outcome. The annoying thing was that she had lost sight of Kid when he threw a flash bomb in the hall, almost blinding her with the light as he escaped. Everyone immediately splitted ways to find Kid, thundering footsteps against the blue carpet and their yelling echoed all over the cruise. Aoko began heading to the deck.

She wouldn't imagine Kid swimming in this weather so his glider would be the only choice of escape. Her father was definitely smart enough to know that too, so it was just like a race, to see who would reach the deck first. Either Kid would fly off first or the police force would stop him in time from doing so.

Aoko decided to head towards the right side of the ship, another bet she decided to take. She didn't have much confidence that it would be that particular spot, but it was worth a try since there were times when Lady Luck was really on her side and the cruise was just too big for her to do anything but make wild guesses for the exact location.

All of the sudden, her radio suddenly crackled and she swiftly picked it from her back pocket and put it near her ear. Maybe some of the squad members had spotted Kid somewhere and that could give her a chance to think of some plan to get to him before he took off with his damn glider. She stopped her running and listened attentively for a word to be spoken.

_"This is Kid speaking."_

Aoko widened her eyes. There were thousands of reasons why Kid was even using one of their walkie-talkie, but something about Kid's tone gave an uncanny feeling in her stomach that she felt the reason was going to be a bad one. She suddenly dreaded to continue to hear what Kid had to say. True enough, the next sentence that came by seemed like she just received a slap across her cheeks

_"Inspector Nakamori is with me. He'd fell off the ship."_ There was a sound of static and Aoko almost cried out when she thought they had lost connection, but the radio came back to life again._ "Eight o'clock from the ship, around 200m but we're getting further away."_

A few seconds had passed and a moment of silence ensued but Aoko felt like it was years. Her mouth opened and closed, just like a goldfish.

_"How is Inspector Nakamori's condition?"_ Someone spoke but Aoko's mind couldn't register who.

_"He's partially unconscious."_

Aoko could hear the wind was beating against the radio as it created an awful static sound and she knew the water must be colder than anything she could even imagine. Her father had fallen into the sea, freezing in that chilly dark water and with that thought, fear slowly and painfully creeped into her chest as tears started filling her eyes.

She didn't know what to say. Her hands were trembling in fright as she raised the radio to her mouth and blabbered out incoherent words. Finally letting out a steady breath, she pressed onto the button and let out the only word she could think of.

"Dad!"

_"Team A will head out. Team B will stay on deck and call an ambulance to station at the shore. I repeat, __Team A will head out. Team B will stay on deck and call an ambulance to station at the shore."_

Aoko chucked the walkie-talkie into her pocket and rushed to the place where all the emergency boats were. She knew the ship well when she was checking it put before the heist started. Running as fast as her legs would carry her, she managed to reach the location just in time to witness the few members climbing onto a boat, preparing to head out to sea.

She sprinted over and tugged onto one her father's recognisable subordinate's sleeve. He spun around, anger flashed across his face but his expression fell lax when he realized it was her who stopped him.

"Aoko-kun, your father-"

"Hyuuga-san, please let me go too. I need to see my father, safe."

He gave a firm nod and let her get on the boat immediately without letting anymore time to be wasted. She was unquestionably grateful and she quickly settled herself on the boat, watching him and the rest of the squad members climbing up to the boat and they started the engine. The boat turned to the exact direction that Kid had stated.

Aoko's eyes scanned across the sea. The colour was nearly pitch-black and if it wasn't for the few flashlights that the squad members were using now, she couldn't even see anything. The light were randomly moving in all directions on the water and finally stopped when it shone at a white blob moving up and down along the current just a hundred metre away. Aoko squinted her eyes to see better and it was none other than Kid waving in the air. But she couldn't see her father. Aoko didn't have to say anything since the rest of them noticed as well and the boat was already increasing the speed towards that very direction.

"Dad!" She scrambled to the side of the boat and wailed out although the sound of the engine drowned her voice. As they got nearer, she could see her father floating on the water beside Kid, his eyelids half closed. Kid silently pushed him towards them and two squad members pulled him out of the water and set him safely on the boat. Aoko swiftly rushed to his side, ignoring everything else in the way.

Hyuuga held up the radio and pressed the button. "Inspector Nakamori is now safe. We'll head to the shore to send him to the hospital."

"Dad, are you alright? Stay awake for me, please." Aoko wailed, her arms wrapping around her cold and freezing father, hoping to send every bit of her body heat to him. One of the subordinates took off his own coat and wrapped it around her father's body, another small effort to keep him warm

"I'm fine." He managed to force a reply and he tried to sit up but Aoko stopped him.

"Don't move!"

Her father sighed and laid back down like what she told him to. "Where's that damn Kid." He whispered.

"It's too dark," There was a short pause and Aoko knew what Hyuuga was trying to mean before the next sentence was even said. "We've lost him."

"Damn it." Her father winced.

Guilty or not, Aoko wasn't sure, but some of the squad members volunteered to go and look for Kid in the sea. Aoko didn't understand. Was catching Kid so important than a life? True, these policemen had dedicated most of their time trying to stop Kid, but if there was a need to sacrifice one's health, one's life, Aoko would rather Kid to be free and thieving for all eternity and she wouldn't give a shit and just hate him forever.

Her fist clenched. "There's still other chances to catch him!" Aoko spat, without thinking much about her words. It wasn't meant to be harsh, but the most important thing right here was to make sure her father would be sent to the hospital without any further delay. Everyone on board turned to look at her after her sudden outburst, but Aoko didn't care what type of expression they were using on her.

The people who volunteered made no move and her father didn't say anything either.

There was nothing else but silence on the boat as she could feel the icy wind brushing against her cheeks, the boat moving at full speed towards the shore.

.o.

Other than a bandage over his head, her father was pretty much well and fit. From the very beginning when Aoko entered the ward, he had been grumbling all about his wasted chance to catch Kid if he hadn't hit his head and was partially unconscious when the thief was right by his side. Aoko remained quiet all the way, hearing his gruff voice filling the room instead. It was a comfort to her, that her father was well and fine like how he was supposed to be.

Only when he finally stopped his small rants, Aoko looked up slowly, her shoulder slouched as if a heavy weight was settling on her. She bit her lips, her hand trembled and she clutched tightly onto the hem of her coat. "I'm worried sick." A soft whimper escaped her lips.

"I'm here, aren't I?" He stared down at her quietly before bringing his arm and setting his hand on her head, ruffling Aoko's already messy hair. When the tears unwillingly gathered in her eyes, she skillfully blinked them away and forced her lips to form a straight line so that it wouldn't quiver.

She could see, she could hear, she could feel his rough hand on her head. Her senses were telling her that her father was safely right by her side, but it wasn't comforting enough to make Aoko forget the thought of losing her only kin she had left in the world. The fear was still clinging tightly to her heart and she couldn't feel anything else.

"If I lose you, what am I going to do?" Aoko gave a hoarse whisper.

"Don't say stupid stuff," He retreated his hand and continued in his softer tone that he only used when he was alone with Aoko, the only tone that Aoko recognized when her father wasn't yelling and commanding at his squad, wasn't shouting and cursing at Kid. When there's nothing that involved Kid, he was always different and that was what Aoko wished it would stay the same.

"Go back home, it's a school day tomorrow too." He continued.

She shook her head. "It's alright to skip a day. I want to stay." Aoko said, without a moment of hesitation.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll be releasing tomorrow afternoon, there's no need for you to stay here. I can't rest well with you here either."

Right on cue, the door opened and both father and daughter turned to the door. Two men came in and Aoko recognized one of them as her father's subordinate but there was something about the other particular unknown man that made Aoko respected him in some way. Aoko stood up from her seat, uncertain of what to do.

"Superintendent Chaki." Her father straightened his posture and Aoko immediately gave a bow.

"Aoko-chan, isn't it? You sure have grown up." Chaki smiled and scrutinized his injured subordinate. "I've heard of the accident and came over to visit."

Her father glanced at Aoko before directing his gaze at the other policeman. "Sakata, send Aoko home for me."

"Sure."

Aoko wanted to back down, but knowing the circumstances, she knew she shouldn't stay any longer and reluctantly obeyed as the officer gestured her out of the ward. She tried to muster the courage to tell her dad that she would come and pick him up once he was discharged, but the moment was too late when the door slid shut behind her. She looked back, glanced away and sighed before staring back at the door again.

"Is there anything you need?" Sakata gave a questioning look.

"No- It's nothing." Aoko waved quickly and smiled. "Sorry, we can go now."

They left the hospital.

.o.

The car ride was silent, not like Aoko minded it at all.

She was beyond tired and it was not like an officer from Kid's Task Force and a mere high school student had anything in common to talk about, except for the thief, but that topic was the last thing Aoko ever wanted to think about. When the car reached its destination, she thanked him for the ride and bid goodbye before heading back into her house after watching the car driving away.

The house was dark and empty as usual and Aoko switched on the lights and heater before heading to her bedroom. She threw her coat aside and jumped onto her bed, crawling to the corner and sat with her knees to her chest.

Aoko wrapped her thin arms around her legs and leaned tiredly against the wall. She hadn't been able to think about anything else but her father and the cost of losing him ever since she was on the way to the hospital. Now that she was alone in her room, she tried her hardest not to think of anything else so she could calm herself down and have a small rest, but her mind started wandering by itself and it unknowingly lead to Kid.

She was doing _really_ fine at hating Kid that she could have gotten a gold medal for it. But of all things, this had to happen. Kid, even at the risk of getting caught, saved the most precious person in her whole world although he was the one that stole him away from her first. But even so, Aoko couldn't deny the fact that Kid had prevented her from all the pain and suffering she would have to go through if she really lost her father. She suddenly realized that Kaito was remarkably strong, for him go through all these years when she almost felt like dying, even just by thinking about her father on the hospital bed.

Aoko wondered how Kid was. Swimming out alone in that freezing water, would he be alright? Phantom thief or whatever, he was still a human afterall. She closed her eyes and thought of how he was going to face Kid in the future. All she wanted was to see Kid repaying for all the crimes he had done, but why did it start to feel like she was going to suffer the longest ride of her life?

This debt she owed to Kid was worth more than her life and she had no idea how to repay it at all.

Aoko looked out of her balcony window and gazed at the dark sky.

The colour suddenly reminded her of the black water when they pulled her father out of the sea, with him lying in her arms, weak from the freezing water along with the blow to his head. Aoko slowly lowered her head and tiredly rested her forehead against her knee. Before she knew it, tears already formed in her eyes and her vision turned blurry. She purposely blinked, watching it fall and feeling her hot tears staining her jeans as she let out the first hiccup she had been holding in all these while.

Aoko never knew a night could last so long.

.o.

"What did you talk about?"

Aoko pulled out her seat, slumping on it heavily and looked over at her table-partner whose head was comfortably resting on the desk with his arms acting as a cushion. Math class was already over and Kaito had been sleeping for the entire time, but he actually paid attention when she was speaking to their teacher? Sometimes Aoko didn't understand how Kaito took notice of certain things when it wasn't important at all.

Tired, she drawled. "I'm not going to do the cleaning duty today."

Kaito sat up straight and made a face. "Hey that's unfair. Doesn't it mean that I'm going to clean the whole classroom alone?"

"You don't have to worry about that. I've asked Kasumi-chan to take over today so I'll be doing her shift next week," Aoko waved at him. "Besides, it might be the first time you'll be serious with the duties when I'm not your cleaning partner."

"That's basically the point. I don't want to be serious at this," Kaito gestured his arms animatedly. "I'm changing my shift too."

Aoko tried not to roll her eyes at Kaito's reaction. It sounded like he couldn't be with anyone else other than her and the thought sounded ridiculous that it made her shiver inwardly because she knew it was impossible for him to be like that. She then threw all of her irrelevant thoughts to the back of her head. "Come on, It's just an hour of cleaning." She stated before picking up her bag and taking out the books she needed for the next class.

"Then why aren't you able to make it since it's just one hour?"

Aoko slowly set the necessary books on the table and glanced at Kaito, her eyes widened slightly but she looked away immediately. She didn't know what to say because she really didn't want to think about this matter that would instantly bring tears to her eyes. Aoko bit her trembling lips, but her mouth moved against her will and she let out the answer.

"Dad's in the hospital. I'm going to pick him up after school."

Kaito blinked and leaned closer to Aoko, which caused her to lean back uncomfortably. "What the hell happened?" He asked, his tone sounded curious.

"He hit his head and fell into the sea while he's chasing Kid." Aoko's voice cracked, her grip on her winter uniform tightened and she sniffed, hoping that the tears in her eyes would dry up quickly so it wouldn't fall.

"Damn." Kaito retreated back to his position and looked out of the window. Aoko used the chance and quickly wiped the tears away, hoping he wouldn't notice her doing so. But who was she kidding? Maybe he had seen her on the verge of crying and looked away purposely so she wouldn't show this vulnerable side of hers. Or maybe she was just thinking to much about it. Why would Kaito aven care about some _stupid vulnerable_ side of hers?

"Well, do you want me to come along?"

Aoko looked up and he was peering at her. For a moment, she wasn't sure what to say.

Their Physics teacher finally came into the class and everyone started settling down. When he was busy calling names to mark the attendance, Kaito gave a nudge on her elbow and she abruptly turned to stare at him again.

"So?" He raised an eyebrow.

Her mind said no because it was pointless for him to come with her. It wasn't like she needed his company during the entire lonely bus ride to the hospital. It wasn't like it's some party or event, the more the merrier or whatsoever. It wasn't like she needed his help to carry her father or anything. But her heart screamed yes because she needed him there, for no fixed reason but his presence was enough for her to make her feel better and a little comfort would be good for now.

"Yes." She replied.

.o.

"What?!"

Aoko's shout earned her a few annoyed looks from the nurses and a few patients along the quiet corridor. She glanced around, giving an embarrassed smile before looking back at the nurse behind the counter.

"My father's already discharged?" Aoko hushed.

"Yes. He passed the quick check up so he's healthy enough to be discharged by then."

Aoko would have flipped the counter if it wasn't nailed to to the ground. After giving a quick thank you, she stormed towards Kaito who was sitting on one of the metal seats along the passageway.

"So I guess your dad really left when the bed was so neat and tidied up." Kaito stood up. "It means he's definitely fine now, so you don't have to worry about him too much."

"He's suppose to take a rest! Where could he be?"

"Do you need to _think_ to know the answer?"

Aoko took in a deep breath and exhaled heavily. A vein appeared on her temple and she thrusted her hand into her bag and fished out her handphone. While she was waiting for her phone to be switched on, she could feel a tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, you're not suppose to use your handphone in the hospital." The nurse gave a disapprovingly look.

Aoko's frown disappeared and she turned her head so fast that she thought her neck might snap. Sheepishly, she hid her phone behind her back, apologising hastily before running towards the lift, along with Kaito following closely behind her.

She began walking around in circles, hitting her phone against her palm while Kaito went over to press the down button on the wall.

"What are you even doing?" He watched her.

"Trying to let off some steam before I really explode." Aoko narrowed her eyes. "Dad-Dad's just... arghhh!" She suppressed a scream and just let out a sound of an unidentified animal.

"For now, you gotta chill like the weather." Kaito playfully started making some sort of Tai-chi moves. Right at the moment, the door opened and two nurses stepped out of the lift. They gave a glance over at Kaito before walking away and Aoko could see a judging look in their eyes.

The anger went away like it was nothing and Aoko couldn't help but snicker. "You look ridiculous. The nurses are still looking at you."

"At least this method works better at calming you down rather than walking around like you're chasing your own tail." Kaito said, looking uninterested at how the two women were staring at his back as he continued making those Tai-chi moves.

"Stop it, you're embarrassing me too." Aoko pushed him into the empty lift and it shut right behind them. She pressed the button for the first floor and the lift began to descend.

Kaito put his hands back to his side. "You can't blame your dad for working too hard to catch Kid even though he fails every single time. It's just his passion, I suppose."

"I know he loves to catch Kid rather than spending time with me," Aoko mumbled, her lips curled down. "But I just can't help but to worry about him, especially yesterday..."

"Your dad is well now, it's alright."

"It _not_ alright," Aoko gritted through her teeth. "Why can't he just understand that his body needs the rest?" She tightened the grip around her phone till her knuckles turned white. "I'm going to give him an earful, no matter what."

The lift door opened and they headed out of the building together in silence. Out in the open area, Aoko began punching the numbers onto her phone before bringing it to her ear. She glanced over at Kaito who was silently shuffling his feet beside her, one hand in his pocket.

After a few rings, the call got through.

"Dad, where are you?" She spoke in the calmest tone she could give, without bothering to wait for her father to acknowledge himself when he picked up the call.

There was a hesitant pause. "At the office."

"Office?" Aoko hollered and Kaito slowly backed away, seeming to know the need to give her some space to throw her free hand around. "Why are you at the office? You just discharged!"

"I'm just back to have a meeting, I'll be home for dinner. They didn't want me to stay too long either."

Aoko instantly calmed down and she straightened her posture. "You sure you will come back for dinner? It's not just an empty promise right?"

"It's not," There was a sound of movement and her father's voice came back again. "I'll talk to you later."

Aoko hung up and absently kept her phone in her bag. She could tell Kaito was watching her from the corner of her eyes and it gave her a sort of weird feeling creeping in her chest. Clearing her throat, she scratched her head and tried to think of something to say.

"My dad's going to be home for dinner." She claimed, although she knew Kaito could easily infer from what she had said during the conversation.

Kaito scoffed. "I thought you're going to give an earful to your dad? Seems like he knows how to get around you easily too."

"I-It's because d-dad said he'll be back for dinner and we'll talk later," Aoko stammered and she really hated herself for that. "Besides, it's rare for him to be back home so early so I don't want him to change his mind if I make a fuss about everything right then." She gave a pout.

"True, that's pretty rare. But maybe it's because he couldn't go and celebrate like he usually does since Kid gets away again, along with the diamond."

Aoko clicked her tongue. "He could have stopped Kid if he didn't hurt himself."

"He barely stopped Kid when he's perfectly fine during all the other times."

Aoko growled and stomped on his foot as Kaito yelped out in pain, muttering all the fanciful nicknames he made up for her and she screamed back at him too. In a huff, she twirled around and strolled off, slowly making her way to the streets so that Kaito would catch up with her and he did.

They quarreled all the way back, even on the bus. Only when an old lady suddenly commented on how the two of them reminded her of the times when she and her husband were teenagers, they finally decided to keep heir mouth shut the entire way home.

.o.

Aoko opened the door and stepped in, leaving it open and turned to Kaito who was still standing outside of her house. "Thanks for accompanying me all the way to the hospital and even back home." Aoko glanced into her house before looking back at Kaito, a little anticipation flashed across her face but she hoped her question wouldn't sound like she wanted him to agree to it. "You want to come in?"

"Nah." Kaito shook his head. "My heater's already fixed. If I have to wait till you invite me to your house, I'd probably freeze to death."

Aoko crossed her arms and leaned against the door. "Is the heater in my house the only thing you care about?"

"You too, you know."

She blinked and gape at her childhood friend. She was so used to his teasing and how he always pranked her that it shocked her to hear such a rare statement coming from him. Aoko could feel her cheeks turning red as she quickly wrapped the scarf around her neck tightly. "Well, that's very nice of you." She laughed dryly, hoping to get rid of the sudden sensation she felt.

If Kaito actually noticed the small blush on her cheeks, he sure didn't show it. "If there's anything, just give me a call. I'll fly over."

"Who do you think you are? Kaitou Kid?" Aoko said, miffed. She could have used a bird as an example but by the time she realised what she said, she didn't bother to correct herself.

Kaito gave a triumphant smile. "He may be better at flying than me but I'm way more cooler than the real thing."

She scoffed, not knowing what to reply to her bestfriend's unbelievable sentence.

"And also-" Kaito paused and licked his lips, sighing silently before continuing his sentence. "Also... Don't cry in your sleep anymore. It doesn't help but only to make yourself feel worse when you're alone."

Aoko gasped unintentionally, but quickly covered it with a cough and set both of her hands on her waist, trying to defend herself against his statement. "What do you mean? Which eyes of yours see me cry?" She challenged him.

"I see it through _your_ eyes," Kaito stated matter of factly. "They were as puffy as your fat cheeks since you came to school, how can that be not obvious?"

She reacted by touching her face and scowled. Her cheeks were definitely not fat because she had been keeping her weight in check recently. Aoko didn't answer him and decided not to because there wasn't a need to deny it either. It would just end up with an endless arguments.

It was unexpected that Kaito could see through her smiles and masks that she put on in school so desperately since she didn't want any of her friends to pry on too much and to worry for her. Maybe it was really just her puffy eyes that gave her away, not because Kaito noticed her fake smiles and laughters. Why would he bother noticing her anyway when he was always busy peeping in the girls' locker room.

Aoko actually promised herself to not tell anyone about her burden, but she still ended up telling everything to Kaito. Maybe it was because he had always there for her so many times and been a part of her for so many years that she couldn't just hide this matter from him; She just rely on him too much for comfort.

Except for Kaitou Kid. Yes. Because she couldn't bear herself to even talk about it. Her meeting with Kid, her first betrayal, her debt that she currently owed. It was a secret between Kid and her alone and she couldn't let Kaito to be involved.

When the short silence finally came to an end, Kaito cleared his throat and stuffed his hands into his pocket. "Well, see you in school tomorrow." He stepped back and turned away, heading out and probably on his way home.

Aoko put out her hand and only let it relaxed to her side once Kaito disappeared behind a wall. It's been a very long time since he came to her house, be it to study together or just to hang out. Something was always keeping him busy, or maybe, _someone_ was keeping him busy but Aoko never felt that she had the rights to ask.

_Or am I just afraid of the answer? _Aoko lowered her gaze, shaking her head and glanced up.

"See you." She mumbled, hoping the wind could bring the words to him when he never stopped to wait for her reply.

She slowly closed the door behind her and kicked out her shoes before going over to switch on the heater. As she stared at the warm machine, their conversation that ended just a minute ago came back to her mind and she brought a hand to her chest, affording a smile to herself.

Even if Aoko didn't want to admit, Kaito did it again, this time without his usual gimmicks and silly actions or pranks. Only just a comforting sentence from him and Aoko felt much more better than anything. He always helped to bring a smile on her face in whatever situation they were in, although there were times when he would do many things to piss her off, but Aoko knew it was all to get her mind off the things that were frustrating her or making her sad.

How ridiculous. This same, exact person could make her smile like there was no tomorrow, but he was also the one who made her mad and also...

Kuroba Kaito, the boy who was witty, smart, athletic and sometimes-sweet-yet-irritatingly-childish at times. The boy who was the first person to give her a rose in front of the clock tower, the boy that gave her so much memories to remember, the boy that brought her joy and happiness in her life, the boy Aoko knew she shouldn't love because everything would be so freaking complicated.

She should have known. It was a taboo topic to think about. It wasn't like she never thought about it before because she remembered how her heart would ached a little and that sad smile would appear on her lips, not for anyone to see but for herself to taste because it was so damn sour to be considered as a reminder for her although she never learn her lessons.

The hope she felt in her heart immediately crumbled into nothing as she combed her hair through her fingers and sighed.

_Best friend. Nothing more, nothing less._ She reminded herself for who-knows-how-many-times for the year and her smile faltered before she headed to her room._ I really shouldn't be thinking about this right now_

For the rest of the afternoon, she began to prepare dinner, in hope to keep that thought off her mind for a while.

* * *

Hope this turns out well. Terribly sorry for the late update! Life's rather busy nowadays hehe. Thank you for all your support and kind and constructive reviews, I'm really grateful!  
Then again, reviews are much appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Joker and Queen

Aoko owes Kaitou Kid a debt and she would do anything to repay it full. But when that debt continues to grow, when will Aoko ever break free from this Phantom Thief?

* * *

Other than Hakuba who was currently out of town and that small detective who recently didn't attend any of his heists, Aoko was able to give Kaito the slight thrill he anticipated. She would always threaten him with her fists, her swears, her vengeful promises that she would catch him the next time they crossed path and it was fun to see her so flustered every singe time.

And Aoko came to the heist again.

Kaito could see her running all around the building like her father, the only difference was she was a tad better at knowing what she was doing and where she should be going.

He entertained her, not because he had to but because he wanted to. Kuroba Kaito thought about the risk of this interaction a lot of times and always made a note to himself to not get so close to her as Kid, but he couldn't pass up that chance whenever he came across her and it was another repeated cycle. Kaitou Kid shouldn't have ties, shouldn't have any relationship with anyone but Kuroba Kaito had slipped up and let his little personal feelings get in his way of his other identity, allowing some girl Kaitou Kid shouldn't care about to mess up his life even more.

It was wrong, really _damn_, _darn_,_ freaking_ wrong of him to be doing this. He never wanted Aoko to be hurt, at least _not_ physically hurt. He knew she was always upset and hateful towards Kid for stealing her father away, but he couldn't help it either. Maybe if Aoko interacted with Kaitou Kid personally, maybe she wouldn't feel so much pain in the first place.

He was thinking of complimenting her new brown coat; it was the first time he saw her wearing it too. Aoko would surely get pissed about it and, but at least she could vent her anger at him with her curses and shouts. This could make him feel a less guilty too.

However for today, there was a slight change of plans. The police were still running around, trying to find where he was and he was already ready to put his escape route to good use, not until a shot was fired and men in grey cloaks began running after him. He knew he couldn't use that plan because Aoko _might_ be there and there was no way in hell he would allow Snake to ever notice Aoko's presence.

So he changed his direction and went to the basement which the two buildings shared, making sure that Snake and the rest were following him before he ran up the stairs and to the roof of the building, beside the one he was supposed to be using. He opened the door and reached the top after a few minutes of consistent running and touched his chest, feeling his heart beating against the hard diamond that was nestled in his breast pocket.

The men finally caught up before he could settle down. Their guns pointing right at him.

"Give it up Kaitou Kid. This is your fate and you'll die tonight." Snake roared

"Just for your information, I haven't checked this." Kid waved the jewel in his hand playfully in the air and Snake narrowed his eyes. "Shoot me and this jewel, _or maybe_ Pandora, will fall with me."

All of the sudden, he noticed a movement at the corner of his eyes so he glanced to look out of curiosity. Kaito really tried to keep his poker face, but when he saw Aoko across the next building, staring at him and the rest of the men that were going to kill him, he widened his eyes.

Fear.

He felt such intense fear for the first time in so many years. Thousands of thoughts and possibilities flashed across his mind in an instant, so fast that he almost failed to register what was happening. One of the scenarios that caught his attention was when Aoko was lying on the cold floor, her blood spreading across the ground and he couldn't do anything about it because his magic, _magic_, didn't have the ability to save a life.

Snake was about to turn to see what he was looking when Kaito snapped his own neck back into position, raising the jewel high up in the air and earning Snake's attention again. "Don't look away because before you knew it, I could smash this jewel right into pieces if it's Pandora."

"Let's see's who's faster. Your magic or my bullet." Snake hollered.

He looked up, the moonlight was piercing right through the jewel in his hand. A second passed and nothing happened.

"What a pity," He smirked. "It isn't what we are looking for."

"Then it's goodbye to you." Snake aimed.

The flash bomb slipped out from his sleeve, dropping onto the ground as he turned away, leaping towards the edge of the roof. He could hear the angry shouts behind him and shots randomly fired while they were blinded by the sudden light. All of the bullets missed and Kid readied himself to fly.

But Kaito stopped.

He shouldn't have stopped. He shouldn't have paused to even spare a second to glance at the roof beside him. But he did, because he couldn't help it. When his eyes reached to his side, Aoko was gone and he felt relief surging through his body before he realized the need to escape right at that moment.

Kaito jumped, his white fluttering cape immediately solidified into wings and he took flight. But because of that one second he wasted, he noted that Snake had reached to the side of the roof, aiming the gun right at him. The distance wasn't too great for him to miss if he tried a couple of lucky shots.

Snake didn't miss, just like what he thought because he was _always _right. He felt an impact on his back, though his mind couldn't register which part of his back got the hit as he clicked his tongue and his glider broke. The cold wind managed to push him further up, but because of the weight, he fell. He thought he was falling for an eternity until he smashed into a window of the building, opposite of the roof he jumped.

He rolled across the ground, crushing into the office tables and chairs. Papers flew up like feathers and slowly floated to the ground. Kid's hat had toppled over and his monocle was somewhere underneath all those white piece of papers but all Kid- Kaito cared about was the pain on his back.

"Shit." Kaito cursed and struggled to stand but he fell right on his stomach again. He brought a hand to his left shoulder before bringing it forward for him to see. His glove was moist, stained with a color which was too dark to tell, but it scented like metal, like _blood_. He hissed and forced himself to stand using his uninjured side and only succeeded after a few times of trying. He put his hand over his wound again, hoping that he wouldn't leave any drop of blood behind while he tried to surpass a painful yelp.

_Need to get out of here. _He was screaming in his head and every nerve in his body was forcing him to run away, to escape to somewhere safe. The police would come any time and there were chances that Snake and his men might come as well. Kaito stumbled and tripped a few times but he managed to notice the flashy green light that showed the exit. He bent forward and picked up his hat with his other hand and made his way towards the door and down the stairs.

Along the way, he called Jii.

.o.

It was already two in the morning, exactly six hours after she last saw Kid crashing into the next building.

Aoko shivered at the memory and cuddled her pillow tightly to her chest. She didn't know what to do back then, other then hiding behind a low wall on the roof, all alone while some gang of criminals were shooting at Kid when he escaped. She managed to take a peep at what was going on without revealing her entire self and when she witnessed Kid plunging through the windows, she almost cried.

There was no need for him to get hurt or to die even if he stole her father away.

She slowly straightened her fingers and opened her hand, staring down fine lightning crack on the glass of the monocle. Her dad and the others got to the opposite building and she followed as well, after making sure those criminals were already gone. It was a mess, a few tables were pushed away from their positions, some chairs were flipped and papers were everywhere. No sign of Kaitou Kid, no blood either. There was no trace of his existence, other than the monocle she found on the floor under a pile of papers. She kept it and hugged that small round thing to her chest the entire way home.

Aoko should have given it to her father, as an evidence or some sort, but she didn't and she never really regret about it either. She never even mention to him about those shooters and how they were going after Kid. She didn't have the proof and she didn't know enough to tell her dad and it would be just pointless anyway. Aoko sighed, her finger slowly caressed the smooth crack and she closed her eyes. At least there wasn't any body there, which clearly means that Kid was still alive. Unless those man reached there faster than any of them and taken him away.

"No, that couldn't be." Aoko bit her lips and shook her head. Being negative about everything didn't help at all.

There was a soft tap on the window and Aoko frowned. She turned her head tiredly before her eyes widened so much that her eyeballs could have just fallen out.

"Ohmygod!" Aoko shrieked.

Even with little light outside, she could see him smirking at her. She flushed in embarrassment, leaving her bed and quickly wore the jacket that was hanging on the chair. Aoko slid the glass door open and stepped out before closing the window door behind her. She wouldn't want the cold air to turn her room into a freezer later on.

"Kaitou Kid..." She furrowed her brows in worry and began to scrutinize the white thief.

"Right here." He casually leaned against the railing and stood an arm away from her.

"Are you alright?" That was the first thing she said, of all the other thousands questions that were in her mind right now. She stared at both of his shoulders, but she couldn't tell where he had been shot. Maybe he didn't even got shot and it was his glider that got snapped instead.

"I'm fine, Nakamori-san." Kid gave a small smile. It wasn't faint actually, in fact, it looked rather weak to Aoko. She decided not to press on either, knowing that he wouldn't reveal it even if she forced him to tell her.

She began to rest her tensed shoulders, trying to calm herself or she would look like a worried fool. "I'm glad you're okay." Aoko muttered.

His smile never falter. "I'm honored that you care about me, Nakamori-san. Although you can rest assure, I'm really fine."

Aoko stared at him, not sure of what to say. There were millions of things she wanted to ask and understand back when she was in her room. But now when Kid was standing right there, so vulnerable from being captured by her, she didn't know what to say. Her fists tightened and she looked down at her hand, realizing the existence of the monocle that she longed forgotten about.

"This... is yours." Aoko handed out her hand, the monocle lying on her flat palm.

He stared at it with an unreadable expression and took it carefully from her weak grasp. With a wave of his hand, it was gone from her sight. "Thank you for picking it up for me."

Aoko blinked, his words striking a sudden thought in her mind. She put her hand back to her side and glanced down. "I-I want to thank you too. For saving my father when he fell of the ship that night." Her gaze never left her feet because it was so much better than having to see Kid in the eye. But he was unusually quiet at that moment and she raised her head, to find him staring intently at her. She looked away in discomfort, the back of her neck became so hot that she felt herself burning.

"You don't have to thank me. It's what I'm suppose to do." He said softly after the short silence.

"But I don't want to owe you anything-"

"You _don't_ owe me anything, Nakamori-san."

Aoko stopped before she could manage to say another word. She gaped at him and he let her. Only after a while then Aoko found the need to break the cold silence between them.

"Why are you here anyway?" She questioned him.

"I was wondering when you'll ask."

She scowled and he continued.

"I'm here to warn you, Nakamori-san." He voice suddenly turned low and serious. "I suppose you've seen what you shouldn't see, but I shall just get straight to the point. Don't attend any of my heists anymore."

Aoko scoffed. "Why should I listen to you when I don't even know what's happening? Do you expect me to actually do what you tell me to?"

"I don't." He admitted. "But I thought that maybe you value your life enough to make you reconsider your choice."

She glared at him. "I value my life. What about you? Don't you value your own life?" Aoko felt like screaming so badly.

He stared at her plainly, his face completely wiped from emotions. "You don't have to worry about me. I can handle them myself."

"Who are they?"

"It's none of your concern, Nakamori-san. All I wish is that you wouldn't go-"

She gritted her teeth. "I will go whenever I want. You're still doing all this stealing when your own life is at risk, I don't see why I should stop coming." Aoko challenged him.

"_Nakamori-san._" It was the first time Aoko heard Kid sounded impatient and agitated. It was like he was so desperate, so _so_ desperate that he could have just begged her. "Please heed my warnings. They are dangerous and they will kill anyone in their way."

"I can take care of myself." She snapped.

So he came all the way to her house in the middle of the night, right after he crashed right through a building, just to warn her not to get involve? She didn't understand! Was her existence such a hindrance to him that he couldn't tell her the next time they see each other? All Aoko wanted was to know what on earth was happening but Kid just refused to tell her anything.

He peered at her beneath the shade of his hat. "I guess there isn't a choice." He said wearily. "You said you don't want to owe me anything, right? Now you can repay the favor. Stop coming to the heist, don't even go near there anymore. Stay at home, watch it through your television and you can continue to hate me all you want."

There was a knock on the door.

Aoko turned back. "It must be Dad." She whispered before looking back at Kid. His face was unreadable and both of his gloved hands were already on the railings, preparing to make a move any second.

She scrambled to slid open her glass door and for no apparent reason, she began to panic, as if she was hiding some body she found. But really, if her father saw how she was _chatting_ with Kid right now, he could flip the entire house. Aoko tried not to think of the joke about the Romeo and Juliet play her school hosted just a few months ago.

Her father swung open the door. "Aoko, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Wait- Dad! I didn't even say if you can come in!" She blurted out and huffed angrily before hastily peeking at her already empty balcony.

Her father ignored her and frowned. "Why did you open the window, it's still cold."

Aoko rubbed the back of her head awkwardly before she began to twist her waist. "I need to stretch."

"Not at this timing. Go to bed."

"I'm already 17."

"Aoko, no one stretches at three in the morning. You have school tomorrow too." He waved her off before leaving her room to have his usual bath.

She quickly rushed to her balcony and leaned forward, staring at the darkness below her before gazing up at the night sky. She sighed. What was she even expecting anyway?

Aoko trudged back to her room and took her own sweet time to shut the window. She stayed there in the position, her palm against the cold and clear glass as she closed her eyes.

_"...and you can continue to hate__ me all you want."_

Setting her forehead on the glass, her heart became heavier and heavier as she repeated that sentence over and over in her head. She wasn't even given a chance to reply him and she felt rather uncomfortable to leave their conversation hanging like that. But what _could_ she do? What _should_ she do?

And it wasn't exactly helping when she didn't feel the intensity to agree with that particular phrase anymore.

.o.

The sound of the door slamming shut could be heard and Jii looked up, pushing the tools away. He looked down at his watch. So many hours had passed and he wondered if Kaito's bandage could last him for the day at school. Hopefully everything was alright.

Jii approached to the living room, only expecting Kaito to be loitering in the kitchen or somewhat, but the scene he witnessed right now was something he never thought of.

"I'm already fine, Aoko- And what the hell are you doing?!"

"Bringing you up to your room of course, you're so weak you can barely stand!"

Jii blinked, staring at the two teenagers struggling with each other. Aoko was holding onto Kaito's arms, playing tug of war between each other as she wanted to drag him to the stairs. Kaito turned his head abruptly to Jii's direction and blinked before he gave a desperate look.

"J-Jii!"

Aoko turned too, her face fell lax before she beamed. "Ah Jii-san!"

"Aoko-chan." Jii greeted back.

Kaito hastily separated their arms and almost stumbled down the small slight of stairs until Aoko caught him by his hand. She pulled him back up as he clumsily leaned against the wall instead of falling right into her.

"Look, you're so weak that you can't even climb the stairs."

"No one climbs the stairs with two people linking arm by arm!"

Jii softly chuckled, watching their two faces flushed with anger and mild embarrassment as they continued their quibbling.

Kaito closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm tired now. Jii, please send this mother out. Goodbye."

Aoko balled her hand into a fist before she put them down in a huff. "I'm going to the bathroom for a while." She turned and headed to the kitchen while Jii followed Kaito up the stairs and to his bedroom instead. He closed the door behind them while Kaito threw his bag down and slowly touched the his left shoulder.

"Is it still painful?" Jii walked over to Kaito in concern, watching him slowly rubbing his back as his face showed no pain or relief.

"It's better than yesterday." He merely said.

Jii slowly brought Kaito to his bed with a frown. "Your body is hot." He touched his forehead. "There's a slight fever. You really shouldn't have gone to school today."

"I thought it'll be fine." Kaito muttered. "I can't miss school twice in a row either. She'll get suspicious."

It was weird how Kaito mentioned a s_he_ instead of her name instead, as if this could make anything less obvious. Kaito was always worried about Aoko and even if he himself didn't notice it, Jii could see it as clear as day.. When he found Kaito in the dark alley, nearly unconscious and weak from blood loss, Jii thought he'll be too weak to even say a word as he hurriedly bring him to his car as police cars were nearly everywhere. But Kaito pulled him and stopped him from going anywhere until he finished saying his question.

_"Aoko... did you s-see Aoko? She's alright, right?"_

He only fainted when he replied him a yes.

They couldn't go to the hospital but Jii did the best he could to take out the bullet and tend to his wound. And that same night after he regained consciousness after a few hours, the first thing he wanted to do was to go to Aoko's place, to confirm that she was safe and also to warn her about her safety. Jii thought Kaito was out of his mind, but there was nothing he could do to stop his stubborn young master. So he watched him bringing out his spare costume and glider and flew there as Kaitou Kid. Kaito only returned after an hour, sweaty and panting and he fainted when he reached his bed. He only woke up the next afternoon.

"I'll bring some ice. I'll change your bandage out too." Jii took the blanket and let it fall on Kaito's lap, hoping to keep him warm. Kaito made no sound and Jii left the room.

As Jii walked down the stairs, he was expecting Aoko to be around and he was right. She was in the kitchen, opening cabinets after cabinets in the kitchen, looking as if she was searching for some gold.

"I can't believe this. There isn't even a grain of rice in this house!" Aoko shook her head exasperatedly. She picked up the trashcan on the floor, which was filled with empty cup noodles and Jii thought she was actually glaring at the innocent looking trashcan. "No wonder he fell sick, he's not even getting a proper meal." She grumbled to herself.

He gave a soft laugh to himself, watching Aoko opening the next cabinet and tiptoeing to inspect what was inside. He suddenly felt the urge to tease the teenager and he walked towards the kitchen and approached her. "It can't be helped. He doesn't have any girlfriend to cook for him."

Aoko gasped and turned around, her cheeks tinted pink. "J-Jii-san!" She stuttered.

"Looking for something?"

"If I can find any." She put her hands to her hips. "There's no egg either!" Aoko sighed and looked up at the clock on the wall. "There's still time left to buy some groceries and cook something proper for him to eat. Jii-san, do you want to have dinner? I can whip up something within an hour or so."

"That's really sweet of you, Aoko-chan."

"No worries! My dad won't be home anyway so I'll be eating alone too. It's like killing two birds with one stone." She skipped out of the kitchen and grabbed her bag before turning around. "I was thinking about fried rice, is fried rice alright?"

"Sure." Jii nodded.

Aoko flashed a grin and made her way out.

After he made sure she left, Jii proceeded to get the medical kit, bandages and other necessary item, along with a tub of ice water and a towel hanging from it. He climbed all the way up the stairs and pushed the door open to find Kaito still sitting at his position, not moving a single inch.

He set the tub on Kaito's desk and brought the bandages and medical kit to the bed, laying them all out neatly before helping Kaito to take off his school uniform so he wouldn't strain his shoulder.

"Have she gone home?" Kaito asked.

Jii shook his head as he carefully removed the used bandage and left it aside. "She went out to get groceries to make dinner for us."

"What?!" Kaito immediately grimaced in pain when he turned his body too quickly.

"Be careful! We wouldn't want to reopen that wound again." Jii almost shouted as he watched Kaito relaxed.

"What the hell is she doing?" He closed his eyes and groaned.

"Don't you think Aoko-chan is such a sweet and caring girl?" Jii stopped for a moment to see Kaito's reaction, but he didn't get any so he continued. "She made the effort to send you back home because you seemed unwell and even planned to make dinner because there isn't anything nutritious food for you to eat."

Kaito peeled open his eyes and scratched his forehead lazily. After a long while, he finally replied with a short and simple sentence that Jii wasn't expecting.

"She's acting like my mother." He said, his tone drained from any emotions.

Jii thought he would hear Kaito's endless rambling about Aoko from that amount of time he kept silent to himself, but he was never always right about what Kaito was really thinking, attributed by his poker face skills. Even though Jii knew it was a sign that the conversation should be stopped right there, he finished his one last sentence that he felt the need to say.

"Aoko-chan wouldn't do all these if you are not a person she cares about."

The silence lasted so long that Jii almost forgotten that he even mentioned that sentence.

After completely cleaning Kaito's wound and giving him a fresh new bandage, Jii let him lay on the bed after putting a shirt on and placed a cold towel on his head. He was about to leave the room for Kaito to rest when he stopped him.

"Jii, I need you to research on Suzuki's latest exhibition. The one that is going to be held this coming Saturday."

He was nearly dumbfounded to even say a word. Clearing his throat, Jii stated the very obvious fact that Kaito was deliberately missing out. "But Kaito-Boochama, it's in a few days time! Your shoulder would not recover by then even if you rest for the entire period."

"There isn't time for me to rest." Kaito said wearily, his eyes closed. "They are on the move and I have to find Pandora before they do. I can't stop just because of a bullet."

Jii opened his mouth but no words came out. He sighed and decided to keep the rest of his pleas to himself. There was no reason to deny what Kaito had said and it would be pointless to argue with him when he was so insistent on it. Furthermore, if he didn't agree to research for him, he swore the next second he blinked, Kaito would be out of his bed and heading to his computer already.

"I'll do it." Jii complied instead.

"Thanks." Kaito fully sunk his head on his soft pillow. It was just two seconds and he was already asleep, a soft snore coming from his parted lips.

Jii quietly leave the room and headed to the spare room right next to Kaito's bedroom. He set up his computer and began his research on the location, the jewel, the people and every few brief details that Kaitou Kid needed to know. He printed the papers and put them accordingly into a new file and slotted it into a secret shelf at the corner of the room so that Kaito could go and read it after he got slightly better from his fever.

He stretched and relaxed his body, deciding to get a drink after shutting himself in the room for nearly an hour. As he opened the door, a heavenly smell struck him and Jii immediately broke into a smile as he followed to fragrance and all the way to the kitchen. There was Aoko, nicely setting the utensils and the plates of food on the dining table as she wiped her hand on an old-looking apron and smiling all to herself.

"The fried rice looks amazing, Aoko-chan."

Aoko looked up, her smile never leaving her face for a second. "Thank you Jii-san. And well, It's the best I can do with the ingredients I can get at this timing." She rushed back into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of piping hot porridge and set it carefully on the table. She blew on her red-looking hands that were probably scalded when she was holding onto the bowl of porridge.

Jii inspected her hands from afar. "Are you alright? There should be gloves in one of the cabinets."

"All I can find is this apron." She chortled and waved her hands around. "I'm fine anyway, no need to worry. It's just a little hot."

Jii stared intently at the food, at Aoko's hands and then at her. "Kaito-boochama is really lucky to have a friend like you."

She shook her head, tugging the ribbon behind her back and loosened the apron for her to take if off easier. "I'm the one that is blessed to have him as my friend." She whispered, only loud enough for the two of them to hear. "He's infuriating sometimes, but that's what makes him the Kaito I know. He helped me in many different ways and I don't know what to do if he isn't there."

Jii felt his lips cracked into a smile. _It's love._ He felt like saying but he remained silent.

"Don't tell Kaito that I said all these." Aoko gave a pleading look.

"I promise."

She heaved a sigh of relief before directing her gaze to the stairs. "I should go and get him down to eat."

"He's still asleep though." Jii informed.

"But Kaito hasn't eaten for the whole day; He didn't have the appetite during lunch. Even if he's tired and sleeping, he'll never get better with an empty stomach."

There was nothing Jii could say to go against Aoko as she was already heading towards Kaito's room. He intended to follow, hoping that things wouldn't turn out bad but he stopped in the middle of the stairs as he watched Aoko dragging a sleepy Kaito in her arms.

"Where the hell are you bringing me to?" Kaito mumbled with little energy, his eyelids were half open.

"It's time for dinner."

"I don't want to eat your burnt crisp of death." He pushed her away weakly.

Aoko growled. "My cooking is not burnt crisp of death. It's edible!"

Jii coughed, deciding to butt in to the conversation that would turn into an endless war if he actually decided not to intervene. "Kaito-boochama, Aoko-chan have made us dinner and you should have some. It can make you feel better with some food in your stomach."

Kaito glanced over, seeming to be pondering for a second before he voluntarily made his way down. Aoko was smiling behind him and joyfully followed closely behind Kaito as Jii walked down as well to make way for them. He noticed Kaito widened his eyes by a small fraction when he reached the dining table. He stared down at the fried rice and was about to sit in front of the plate when Aoko stopped him, pushing him to the head of the table and set him down in front of the bowl of porridge.

"What is this white thing?" Kaito judged the bowl.

"It's porridge you idiot."

"What's inside?"

"Don't worry, it's not fish."

Kaito narrowed his eyes.

Jii shook his head with a smile on his lips and took a seat across Aoko. They said their thanks to the meal and began eating. For the entire time, Jii could sense that Aoko was more concern over Kaito eating his food rather than her own plate.

"So is it to your liking?" Aoko asked, her eyes wide with anticipation for his answer.

Kaito blew over his spoon and brought the porridge to his mouth and gave a small nod. She beamed at his response and began to eat her food with a very good mood that evening.

They talked over dinner for a while until everyone finished the food on their plates. Even Kaito's bowl of porridge was empty by the time Aoko brought it to the kitchen to wash.

.o.

"Thank you for the meal Aoko-chan."

Aoko grinned. "It's no big deal." She turned to Kaito who was leaning against the door, glancing impassively at the ground. Her smile changed into a concern look as she stared at him for a while before looking back at Jii. "I shall leave Kaito to your care Jii-san."

"Of course."

"I can take care of myself." Kaito muttered and headed back into the house without looking back.

Jii wanted to call him back but he guessed it wouldn't make a difference now. He turned back to Aoko. "He's still a bit grumpy for being woken up from his sleep. Let me send you home Aoko-chan."

"Oh it's okay. It's just a few minutes walk from here. I'll be fine." She bowed and waved goodbye before turning away to leave.

Jii only closed the door when he couldn't see Aoko anymore. He sighed and walked into the house, watching Kaito who had standing beside the dining table, his back facing him. After a short silence, Jii spoke. "You could have thanked Aoko-chan at least. She brought you home and even made dinner just for you."

He noticed how Kaito's grip tightened on the wooden chair. "I would rather if she doesn't do all these things." He mumbled. "There's nothing to thank her about when she's the one making it so complicated."

"Kaito-bocchama..." That was all Jii could muster to say at the moment as he watched the young man sloping in his position. It could have been the wound, or maybe he was too tired, but Jii never once saw Kaito looking so burdened before. He had watched Kaito growing up, from an infant till now and even just by looking at his back, Jii could almost see the heavy weights pushing Kaito further and further into the current misery he was feeling and it broke Jii's heart into pieces.

Jii contemplated for a long time and decided to ask in the end. "Have you ever thought of confessing to Aoko-chan?"

Kaito froze in place. Slowly, he shifted his position and faced him, his poker face in place. "Confess about what?"

"You like Aoko-chan." Jii stated. It was a fact. Other than magic and any other things related to his father and Kaitou Kid, he would talk about Aoko and only Aoko. And the way he chuckled while he recounted the times when he prank her and times when he just hung out with her, his eyes were brighter, gentler and very different. He thought a smart man like Kaito should be able to know about his feelings much more than anyone else and he didn't need to remind Kaito about it. But this time, Jii couldn't hold back anymore.

Kaito glanced away and he stared at the table, his eyes grew distant. "How can I when I'm still Kaitou Kid?"

Jii felt a cringe in his chest.

"There were times when I wanted to tell her I'm the person she hated the most; Kaitou Kid." Kaito's hand set upon the table and Jii noticed that spot was the one where Aoko sat a while ago, but he wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence.

"Why?" Jii asked.

Kaito lowered his gaze and glanced away. "If I tell her, she'll never turn up at any of my heists again, which is what I really wanted. The last thing I need is for her to be there, right in the open and in danger. I'm alright with her hating on Kaitou Kid, but if I really did admit my identity to her, she'll hate me too. And when I think about it, I don't have the courage to tell her in the end."

Jii wanted to do something, to comfort his young master that it would be alright, but the words got stuck in his throat because he knew those were just empty and meaningless words. Kaito spun around and ruffled his tousled hair, showing a crooked smile.

"I'll head to bed now. I could have slept till morning if Aoko didn't wake me up." Kaito turned away again and headed to the stairs. "Lock the door for me if you're going home."

"I will." Jii said and watched Kaito disappear up the second floor.

The room was suddenly filled with the silence, so loud that Jii found it uncomfortable. He glanced across the dining table and remembered the lighthearted and innocent conversations they were engaged in during dinner. His gaze moved towards the family portrait set on the corner of the table right beside the front door.

It was just like then. The innocence was so strong and Kaito's smile was filled with nothing but genuine happiness, no worries in the world. His life was perfect back then and he didn't had to worry about getting killed, getting caught or getting hated by his best friend.

"Toichi-sama..." Jii mumbled hoarsely. He wondered when would all this end. All these rubbish about immortality or some jewel named Pandora. It could have been just a myth, a rumor and this probably non-existent gem was the core problem of everything that turned Kaito's life upside down. The death of Kaito's father and how he had to continue to pretend to be his ghost. Jii shut his eyes tightly in anger.

He headed to the secret basement and decided to continue altering some of Kid's equipment. Jii never got the chance to ask, but once he died and joined his master in heaven, he would questioned him if it was ever the right choice to leave such a heavy burden to his only son.

* * *

The loooooooooong chapter 5 is done! I can't believe I'm still continuing this story at such a _moderate_ pace compared to my other regular updates. Thank you for the kind and nice reviews and I hope you'll anticipate for the next installment I have in mind:)  
Reviews are appreciated!


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